A More Perfect Future: Rise of the Empire
by LynnisaMystery
Summary: SEQUEL 20yrs have passed since we last saw our heros, and now the EMPIRE has risen still despite Palpatine's death. Tarkin and Thrawn run the scene now, and with Leia's capture by the Empire, things look dim for the REPUBLIC. A/P L/M L/H Complete AU
1. Chapter 1

**THIS A SEQUEL!**

**If you have not read it yet, go find A More Perfect Future, it is a time-travel fic with Luke and Leia. This is the beginning of the result to their travels. It is an AU. **

**DISCLAIMER: George is like the Emperor in Plaid. He just owns everything and can't shoot lightning (That we know).**

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><p><strong>A More Perfect Future: Rise of the Empire<strong>

**Chapter One**

Leia threw herself roughly into the copilot's seat, firmly ignoring the Captain. Oh how he got on her nerves!

"Hey, watch the upholstery," he shot at her, getting ready to pull the Hyperdrive lever to revert to Real Space.

"I'll do what I want," she shot back childishly. He snorted.

"Of course you will," he said, rolling his eyes. "Look, Your Worship-"

"Don't call me that."

"Do what you want to anything _but_ my ship," he finished, ignoring her statement.

"Just fly the ship, Flyboy," she said, gesturing to the swirling tunnel. The ship gave a shudder as if on cue and reverted to realspace. "That wasn't supposed to happen, was it?"

"No," he said, checking over his instruments. "Hyperdrive is at full capacity-"

"That means nothing, Han," she said, ignoring the dirty look he shot her.

"Wait," he paused, staring at the scanner. "There's a gravity well. That's why we dropped."

"Then where is the ship?" she asked, looking out the viewport. "Shouldn't the Republic have closed off this flightpath if they were using gravity wells?"

"It's too large to be pirates," he commented. He kept his scanners on full power, urging them to stretch out and find the reason for the gravity well in seemingly empty space. "Can't you do that Force Mumbo Jumbo thing and find out something yourself?"

"The Force isn't some 'Mumbo-Jumbo'," she said icily. "And no, I can't. I'm not strong enough and don't you think I hadn't already tried that?"

"My apologies, Your Worshipfullness," he sniped back. "I think I got something on the scanner. A ship, coming in straight towards us. Corvette Cruiser."

"Hostile?"

"No," he said. "At least I don't think so. Unless they've modified their ship they shouldn't have weapons."

"And if they have?"

"We're unprepared," Han shrugged as if it were just another day on Alderaan.

"Fantastic," she rolled her eyes, and glanced back out the viewport. She peered closer, trying to see the odd object that lay beyond the incoming ship. "What is that?"

"What's what?" he asked, turning his attention out to the great blackness of space.

"That moon thing," she pointed. "There aren't any sub-planets out this far are there?"

"Not to my knowledge," he said. A small pinging interrupted their appraisal of the object.

"The Corvette is hailing us," Leia said, sharing a wary glance with Han. A small growl came from behind them and she glanced back at the shaggy form of Han's wookiee copilot, Chewbacca.

"'Bout time you got up here," Han mumbled to Chewie before gesturing towards the comm and Leia. "See if you can't find some diplomatic bantha fodder to negotiate with them. Leia narrowed her eyes but turned to the comm.

"Unidentified Ship," Leia greeted. "This is the _Millennium Falcon_, could we offer assistance?"

A jumble of voices came through the channel, all frantic and fighting.

"Senator Skywalker, is that you?" a voice patched through the rumble.

"Yes, who is this?" Leia replied, glancing nervously at Han.

"Prepare to receive transmission."

The voice cut off and immediately a data-transfer began, unloading a rather large file into the memory banks.

"Chewie, go see if you can get Artoo," Leia said, scanning through the already transferred pieces of the file. Chewie growled in acknowledgment and walked out of the cockpit.

"What is it?" Han asked, watching the Corvette in the distance.

"Some plans of a battle station of some sort," she said, shaking her head.

"Republic's?"

"No," she said. "And that's what worries me. Who ever has these is intending to use it for something big, but I don't know who would even have the funds for this."

"I don't like the feeling of this," Han mumbled, spinning the ship around and heading towards the place they'd entered the Gravity well.

"Han, what are you doing?" she screeched out, trying to find something in the darkness out side to orient herself.

"Taking you out of here," he said firmly.

"But we need to get this shipment to Yavin!" she cried out.

"Not if it risks losing the Chancellor and Jedi Master's daughter," he shook his head. Chewie came back through the door, growling in annoyance at Han. "Calm down you big lump of fur. Something isn't right here!"

A horrible screeching noise sounded as a small one-manned ship flew past them.

"What is that?" Leia gasped, never having seen a ship like that before. It had a rounded cockpit and two hexagonal wings on either side.

"Nothing good," Han replied. The ship gave a shudder as it exited the gravity well and the navi-computer pinged in readiness. "Chewie, set in the coordinates for Tatooine."

"Tatooine?" Leia gasped. "Han, that's three days away from Yavin! That shipment is due tomorrow!"

"Once we touch down we'll comm them and let them know of the delay," Han nodded. Chewie growled in response to his successful coordinate input and Han immediately slammed the hyperdrive lever up and they shot into Hyperspace.

"A ship just made it to hyperspace, Captain," a young lieutenant announced as Captain Pellaeon scanned the space outside the large Star Destroyer the _Chimaera_.

"And of the Corvette?" he asked, glancing down at the officer.

"We have recovered it, sir," the officer answered. "It is in the docking bay now, and the crew is in custody."

"Good," Pellaeon nodded. "Inform Supreme Commander Thrawn of this news."

The officer nodded, spinning on his heel and crossing the bridge to the lower command room where Thrawn normally operated from.

Pellaeon returned his gaze back to the battle station to the side, it's large gravity well holding in all the orbiting ships. Part of Pellaeon was proud of the steadily growing Empire's success with such a massive project, but at the same time the thought of the station grew a certain amount of dread in his stomach. The sound of even but purposeful footsteps sounded behind him and he didn't move in recognition. He knew it was Thrawn. Only a chiss could exert that much power and control in something as simple as sound.

"Captain," Thrawn greeted as he came to a stop next to Pellaeon.

"Supreme Commander," Pellaeon returned. He glanced up at Thrawn's bluish profile, the man's glowing red eyes scanning the surrounding stars.

"Have our techs returned with a possible jump point yet?"

"No, sir," Pellaeon shook his head. "I'd wager only a minute more though. They are rather optimistic these days and tend to work faster."

"Good," Thrawn nodded. "We must capture that ship. Alert our friend Mr. Fett. He should be well suited for this job."

Pellaeon motioned to an ensign that was delivering data-pads to the various officers and the young man immediately walked forward, just shy of a jog.

"Captain?"

"Yes," Pellaeon said with a smile. "Contact Bounty Hunter, Boba Fett and request a job: Tracking and returning of a live bounty."

"Of course," the ensign nodded, abandoning his previous job and darting towards communications.

Pellaeon and Thrawn only waited a minute more before the information regarding the jumped ship arrived to them. Thrawn scanned the data-pad, smirking lightly at the information held within.

"Ah, the _Millennium Falcon_," Thrawn said wistfully. "Do you know anything of it, Captain?"

"No, sir," Pellaeon shook his head.

"Shame, it is a beautiful ship," Thrawn nodded, and looked up at the stars. "A YT 1300 freighter, modified by various Captains since the Clone Wars, in fact. Best guess places it at a .5 past light speed."

"Sir, that's impossible," Pellaeon objected. "The forces generated by the jump would tear it apart."

"On a regular ship, maybe," Thrawn nodded. "But this is modified heavily, remember. Armored too, harder shields... It is quite beautiful. A work of art."

Pellaeon smiled inwardly at the Supreme Commander's love of all things art. It was a fascination of the Chiss, apparently, though according to Thrawn it gave him insight to a species. It hadn't failed him yet.

"The ship is owned to an ex-smuggler, actually," Thrawn continued. "Reformed to the New Republic after he was pulled out of Jabba's thumb. Not an easy feat when dealing with the Hutts.

"I'd wager that the Senator of Naboo was aboard that ship."

"Sir?" Pellaeon asked and Thrawn smiled and nodded.

"The family that helped him out were the Skywalker's," Thrawn explained. "Rather popular story within the Holo-Tabloids awhile back. I'm surprised you missed it. But, yes, Solo, the smuggler, has been in the debt of the Skywalker's for many years now."

"Why were they out here then?" Pellaeon asked, knowing that they were actually within the middle of one of the more unpopular hyperspace lanes.

"Do you know where the Jedi Temple is, Captain?"

"No."

"No one does," Thrawn smiled. "Except those allowed by the Jedi. And no one else."

"And Senator Skywalker is the daughter of a Jedi," Pellaeon connected the dots.

"Yes," Thrawn nodded. "As soon as Fett is contacted, let him know the bounty is Senator Skywalker, alive. 50,000 credits. Republic or Imperial, his choice."

"Yes, sir," Pellaeon nodded, leaving the bridge and following the path the ensign had taken just a few minutes ago.

"I win again, Skywalker," Mara snicker, pointing her violet blade down at Luke Skywalker's neck for a moment before withdrawing it back into her hilt. She hooked the lightsaber onto her belt before reaching out a hand and helping Luke to his feet.

"What was that move there at the end?" Luke questioned, thinking of the spinning kick that had simultaneously disarmed him and knocked him off balance.

"A kick," she shrugged. "Maybe I'll teach it to you sometime."

"Yeah," Luke snorted. "After you get tired of besting me with it."

She laughed and grabbed a towel out of her bag, blotting off the sweat on her face and leaning back against the bench. Luke opened his water bottle and squirted the water into his mouth, sighing as the cool liquid immediately lowered his body temperature.

"You coming over for dinner tonight?" Luke asked, repacking his belongings.

"Yeah," she sighed. "Dad doesn't get back from Alderaan until tomorrow anyway and I'd rather skip a temple meal with Horn if I could."

Luke laughed. "Corran still teasing you about that duel the other day?"

"Yes!" she cried out angrily. "He caught me off guard!"

"Oh my," Luke sighed dramatically, teasing her. "The great Mara Organa Jade, caught off guard?"

"Shut up, Skywalker," she hissed, reaching up to grab the tie in her hair to release her pony-tail. "What's your mom cooking anyway?"

"Bantha Stew since Leia's off delivering supplies to Yavin," Luke answered. They exited the gym and fell into the thick Coruscanti walkway.

"Han with her?"

"Dad won't trust anyone else," Luke laughed. "Why, you jealous?"

"Of Solo?" she scoffed. "I'd rather date one of the Rogues."

"Hey, you do know I'm an unofficial member of that squadron you know?" Luke asked, pretending to be offended.

"Why do you think I said it?" she asked, flashing her standard grin, before twisting around and walking in front of him. He rolled his eyes and kept walking.

"You should really watch it, Jade, you know that?" Luke threatened, shaking his head.

"Or what?" she asked. "You'll let me beat you again? Cause honestly, if that's the punishment I'd never watch what I say."

"You're worse than Han sometimes," Luke rolled his eyes, stopping in front of a tall, chrome colored building and punching in the security access code.

The door buzzed and they entered, nodding to the few Republic Security guards stationed around the lobby before entering the lift to take them up.

"So, Skywalker," Mara said, leaning back against the lift wall and crossing her arms across her chest. "Tell me, do you let all the girls you fight best you like that or am I just special?"

Before Luke could respond, the doors opened to his Parent's apartment and Mara darted through them.

"Mara!" he called out as she ran down the hallway and into the 'fresher. He let out a groan of annoyance and headed towards the kitchen. The smells of his and his father's favorite stew cooking filtered through the air and the scent made Luke's stomach rumble happily. He lifted up the lid slightly and peered in but jumped mildly as his mother's voice cut through the air.

"You better not spoil your dinner," she chastised. Luke blushed and released the lid guiltily much to his mother's pleasure.

"Sorry, Mom," he said weakly and she just shook her head and laughed lightly.

"How was your workout?" she asked, passing him and opening the cooler-unit to pull out fresh fruits for dinner.

"Fine," he sighed, settling on a glass of blue milk. "Mara used some weird kick thing that completely threw me off."

Padme laughed. "She holding it over your head?"

"Does Tatooine have two suns?" Luke countered and his mother smirked. She shook her head and pulled him into a hug, playing with the ends of his Padawan braid.

"You look just like your father with this thing in," she said nostalgically.

"I know," Luke rolled his eyes. "You tell me that all the time. I've had this thing for eight years, Mom!"

"I know," Padme nodded. "But it doesn't negate that it's the truth. Now, go yell at Mara to hurry up. You smell like wet Shaak."

Luke gave a chuckle before abandoning his milk and heading down the hall to hurry Mara up.

Padme laughed as the loud voices trickled into the kitchen. Those two were so alike it was startling sometimes to her. They seemed at times closer than Luke and Leia were. Another pang of nostalgia came about her as she realized two other twins were the same way. It didn't escape Padme's notice at how alike her children could be at times to the two twins she'd known so long ago.

The thought fell to the side as warm, secure arms wrapped around her middle, and a face brushed at her let down hair by her neck.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Anakin asked easily, having sensed his wife's emotions the moment he crossed the threshold.

"Nothing of recent importance," Padme shook her head and tilted her chin for a kiss. Anakin's lips met hers for a moment before a grunt interrupted them.

"Gods, you guys are worse than some of the kids at the Temple," Mara said disgustedly and grabbed Luke's milk off the counter and finishing it off in one swig.

"Someday you'll have this, Mara," Padme teased and waved the knife she was holding between her and Anakin. "Then we'll get to mock you."

Mara rolled her eyes and mumbled out a non-commital response.

Padme shook her head lightly and returned to her fruits as Anakin released his hold on her.

"How'd sparring go, Mara?" Anakin asked, levitating a shurra fruit into his hand over his wife's shoulder, ignoring her huff of annoyance and biting into it.

"You're son needs to learn how to implement standard combat into his fighting tactics," she answered firmly. "He'd be fine battling a number of Jedi who also ignore that piece of knowledge, but not against someone that mixes styles."

"I'm sure you could teach him," Padme responded, glancing at the red headed girl.

"Great," Mara snorted. "I get the joy of teaching someone two years older than me something he should have learned from Obi-Wan."

"Age has nothing to do with it and you know it," Anakin replied. "You are one of the most talented fighters in the Order, regardless of age. You'll probably be able to take the trials with Luke."

"If Master Tano will allow it," Mara rolled her eyes. "She is way too overprotective."

Anakin chuckled. "I was the same way about Obi-Wan's teachings. You'll come to appreciate the extra time spent under Ahsoka's watch soon enough."

"If she listens to her," Luke chuckled, rounding the corner and flicking Mara's Padawan braid. She narrowed her eyes at Luke.

"I probably listen to my Master more than you do yours."

"And it rains on Tatooine," Luke snorted. "Dinner almost ready? I'm starved."

"Just like your father," Padme shook her head yet again, ignoring the chuckle from her husband.

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><p><strong>If you are coming straight from my other fic, Welcome! And thanks for sticking with me. This one isn't looking to be as long as the last (17 chapters) but this is the second of four for this series. I'll be only loosely following the OT, but alot of this will incorporate elements from the Thrawn trilogy. If you haven't read that, no sweat, everything will be explained and I promise not to give away too much. I do encourage you to read it if you have a chance. Timothy Zahn is like a Fanfic God. Okay, but seriously, he's awesome. <strong>

**This one will have more of the characters we know and love as well, as you might have guessed from Han and Mara's presence. **

**As a reminder, the Jedi Temple is now on Yavin, Padme is Chancellor as Bail's term has already passed, Han no longer works for the Hutts, and Luke and Mara have those annoying Padawan braids for the time being. That should give you a kick off point. **

**As always, Reviews are loved and appreciated! **

**Your Author, **

**Lynn**


	2. Chapter 2

**Loving the response to last chapter. You guys continue to be awesome! **

**This is still a prelude chapter, and now we're seeing the plot for this start to show itself. **

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><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

"Something doesn't feel right," Leia commented, pulling her powder blue hood tighter around her hair.

"It's Mos Eisely, of course it doesn't feel right," Han rolled his eyes.

"More than that," she whispered. "Maybe we should have brought Chewie along."

"We're just going to pick up enough food to make us back to Coruscant, what could happen?"

Leia narrowed her eyes at his comment but pushed forward. The oppressive heat of the binary suns above them bore down on her, and a small bead of sweat dripped down her temple.

"There we go," Han nodded, pointing to a vendor. "That looks fairly safe."

"Han," Leia called out as he charged forward. Her danger sense spiked and she glanced around the market place, finding nothing out of the ordinary.

"Calm down, Your Worship," he chastised, ignoring her.

The danger sense spiked the moment Han turned his back and a gloved hand came around Leia, and she inhaled a sickly sweet scent. Lethargy fell over her and she collapsed into her attackers arms. Han glanced back and saw the 'T' shaped mask of Boba Fett, his hand immediately reaching to grab his blaster.

"Do it and she dies, Solo," the modified voice responded.

"You would have already killed her if it wasn't a live bounty," Han responded, his voice straining to hide the fear and pain that rippled through him at the sight of Leia unconscious and in the arms of a bounty hunter.

"True," Fett shrugged. A blaster shot flew out from the gun that was hidden behind Leia, hitting Han square in the chest. The stun bolt knocked him out immediately, and Han crumpled to the ground unconscious.

"Leia!" Luke cried out as he jerked out of sleep. The sudden wave of pain and then nothing echoed through his mind as if on repeat. He threw back the blankets and immediately rushed to his parent's door, hitting the release roughly.

The sudden light hitting their faces pulled them out of sleep, and in the back of his mind Luke realized he was glad they were clothed. But the remainder focused on the echo of fear.

"Something's happened to Leia!" he cried out, his voice gasping.

"What do you mean?" Anakin asked, sitting up straighter. "Is she all right?"

"She's not dead," Luke said firmly, knowing it to be true. "I don't know what happened though. She just panicked and fell off the grid."

"Ani," Padme breathed, glancing at her husband for some sort of guidance.

"Contact Ahsoka and Obi-Wan," Anakin announced, getting out of bed and grabbing a shirt. "Get the Jedi on this. Maybe they can get something. Known threats, I don't know."

"I'll call Winter," Padme said, rushing to the comm to alert Leia's aide. They were close friends and Winter's photographic memory would be able to pinpoint a threat much faster than Republic Security could come up with one.

Luke followed his mother out of the room, going to the private line to contact the temple. Anakin ran a hand through his hair and glanced out at the Coruscanti skyline. His daughter had been going to Yavin... What had happened?

The comm call came three hours later, and Anakin answered to the distraught and apologetic face of Han Solo. Han was as much a son to Anakin as Mara was a daughter to him. He'd taken Han under his wing long ago when Han had gotten too deep in with Jabba the Hutt and ended up having his cargo stolen before he could get to the drop point. Han had been on the run, and when Luke had met him and offered help, Han's ego hadn't been too much to accept it. The Skywalker family had loaned, or rather given though Han refused to think of as anything other than a loan, the money to Han to pay Jabba.

Ever since, Han had run cargo for the Republic, the Jedi in particular. He'd quickly garnered the trust of not only Anakin but the entire order. He was their go to man.

"Han, thank the Force," Anakin sighed as the familiar Corellian face registered with him.

"Anakin, I'm so sorry," Han said, pain rippling across his features. "I just turned my back for a moment when a bounty hunter got her. I never meant for this to happen. I was trying to protect her."

"Han, calm down," Anakin said, waving his hand to get the smuggler to pause. "Start from the beginning. Where were you when the bounty hunter got her?"

"Tatooine," Han said, looking away in shame.

"Tatooine?" Anakin echoed the question back in surprise. Of all the places in the galaxy... "Why there?"

"We ran into some trouble when we were knocked out of hyperspace by a gravity well," Han explained. "I figured it was too dangerous and was trying to avoid this happening. We stopped on Tatooine for supplies before finishing the trip to Yavin."

"Was it a Republic Gravity well?" Anakin questioned, glancing to Padme's stoic form just out of the viewer screen's range.

"I don't think so," Han shook his head. "But here's the kicker: There was a corvette running from whoever had that well. Hailed us, confirming it was Leia aboard, and then sent us data files... For a battle station."

Anakin glanced back up worriedly at Padme, who's eyes were wide.

"Battle station?" she whispered.

"Han," Anakin continued. "Do you still have those files?"

"Artoo does," Han nodded. "Leia wanted to make sure they were backed-up between the _Falcon_'s computer and something else."

"Return to Coruscant," Anakin said firmly. "We need to see those files. Is Chewie still with you?"

"Yeah," Han replied. "When Leia and I didn't come back he went looking and found me unconscious in an Alley. Boba Fett stunned me."

"Fett?" Padme said alarmingly, memories of the bounty hunter that tried to kill her returning.

"Yeah," Han nodded. "But I think it was a live bounty. He didn't even try to get a shot at her."

"Get back to Coruscant to discuss this further," Anakin finished, and Han nodded before clicking off the call.

Before Anakin could fully turn away from the call Padme launched herself into his arms, burying her face deep in his chest.

"Ani, my baby girl," she said, her breath hitching in tears. "My baby girl is taken. What am I supposed to do? Oh..."

"Shh," Anakin soothed, running his hand down the back of her head. "Calm down, Angel. It'll be alright, we'll get her back. We'll get her back..."

"Your family has no idea where you are," Pellaeon said, sitting down in the chair across from Leia. Her hair was mussed but she was otherwise in the same condition she'd been when she was taken. The powder blue cloak was gone, draped on the back of the chair loosely, revealing the light blue dress that came to her neck with a tight bodice. Her arms were covered in loose sleeves, billowing out in a personal fashion choice cross of Alderaanian and Nabooan clothing.

She stared down the captain in front of her, examining his young features, only a few years older than her, and his perfectly combed and greased hair.

Then came the logo on his arm. Similar to the Republic's in shape, but the spokes of the wheel were too few.

"Who are you?" she questioned, her voice firm and not a trace of the fear she felt filtering through.

"My apologies, Senator," Pellaeon grinned, dipping his head. "I am Captain Pellaeon, Captain of the Chimaera. I'm your interrogator."

"Why not use an interrogation droid?" she asked, raising an eyebrow and smirking.

"I thought we'd wager how cooperative you were until we took that path," he smiled, glancing down at the data-pad in front of him. "You have quite a beautiful service record, Senator Skywalker. And the cherry on top being your parentage. Very impressive."

"My parents have nothing to do with my position," she said, grinding her teeth. It took her years to lose the title of 'Leia Skywalker, daughter of Senator Amidala and Jedi Master Skywalker'. She was her own person now.

"I never said otherwise," he smirked. "But they do add a nice touch, don't you think. You must know a lot of inside information due to them."

Leia didn't respond, she instead held her gaze unflinchingly.

"Tell me, Senator, were you heading to the Jedi temple when you intercepted that transmission?"

"And what transmission was that, Captain?" she asked innocently. He chuckled.

"Your studies have served you well," he nodded. "Quite the negotiator, much like your mother. I'd bet you never lost a fight with your brother as a child, did you?"

"My brother is a skilled negotiator as well," she answered. "And also very keen in the Force. How much of the Force do you understand, Captain?"

She'd successfully turned the tables on the interrogation, and that fact gave her mild hope into the situation.

"Enlighten me."

"The Force surrounds us," she quoted, stepping into the famous Jedi spiel. Pellaeon gave no indication as to whether or not he'd heard it before. "It penetrates us, guides us, it holds the galaxy together."

"I see," he commented, mildly amused.

"Did you know that Force Sensitive Twins are an interesting commodity?" He shook his head and she continued. "The bond formed between them is fantastic. Great emotions can filter through the Galaxy as if the other were sitting right next to you."

"You mean to say your brother knows of your abduction," Pellaeon summed and she grinned.

"Not just that, but he could know exactly where I am," she smirked. Pellaeon let out a laugh.

"Oh dear, allow me to alert security," he mocked and her eyes narrowed. "Your brother doesn't know where you are. No one does. You know why?"

"Why?" she shrugged, keeping contact with the Captain's eyes.

"Because no one knows we exist," Pellaeon laughed. "To the Republic, we aren't even there. The beauty of keeping a low profile, don't you think?"

"So who are you then?"

"We, my dear Senator, are the Empire," Pellaeon finished. "And the Galaxy will soon be ours."

Ahsoka sighed, her fingers toying with the beaded necklace she wore. Sitting in front of her were two rather dated data-pads, and she tossed around the knowledge of the contents.

She'd never read them. Not even when the name Solo appeared again after so many years. She'd held her promise to present them to their owners when the time came, and she'd still do that. But when was the right time?

"This is ridiculous," she moaned, standing up and pushing the pads to the corner of the table she sat at. A small tapping of a cane caused her to turn around into the smirking eyes of Master Yoda.

"Ridiculous, only you make it," he chuckled before stepping forward. "Your problem, I inquire about, Young Tano."

"The data-pads Luke and Leia gave me before they died, Master," she said quietly. Yoda made a humming noise and closed his eyes and leaned further onto his cane.

"An interesting problem they presented, yes?" he asked rhetorically. "Listen to the Force you must."

"I'm trying, Master," she sighed, flopping back down into her seat.

"When at peace, you will see," he lectured. "Agitated you are, confused you are. Listen to your head no more shall you, but the Force. For it is our ally."

"I know," she sighed again and glanced at the pads.

"Tell you something it does?"

"It's telling me I should reveal the secret," she sighed. "That I should let them know the truth of the _Solo_ twins."

Yoda hummed happily. "Then follow the Force you shall."

"But Master Yoda, is this really the best time? Leia just got taken to Force knows where, how can this be the right time?"

"Only the Force shall know," Yoda said, his ears twitching in amusement. "Now, present these you shall."

"Yes, Master," she nodded. "I will."

"Good," Yoda nodded. "Now sleep. Returning to Coruscant in a few hours we are, then present the pads you can."

"Alright," she nodded, and watched as Yoda left the small cabin of the Jedi transport. She stretched out and felt the slumbering presence of Obi-Wan just a ways away, and then Master Windu and Aayla Secura in the cockpit. Kit Fisto seemed to be in the lounge, fiddling with his lightsaber and attuning the crystal better.

Part of her worried over the large number of the council coming to Coruscant, but she pushed that thought away. Of course they would come. It was Luke and Leia, the new, not the old, that shaped the order to how it is now.

She had a few more hours to go before she needed to present these data-pads to the Skywalker family. Part of her wondered how Luke was handling this but realized that her own Padawan, Mara, would be helping him through this.

She chuckled lightly at the two hard-headed, stubborn, soon-to-be Jedi. They had danced around each other for years now. In due time, she mused. Her head hit the softness of her pillow and within moments the sound of the Hyperdrive's hum lulled her to sleep.

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><p><strong>Annnddd... There we go. So Ahsoka still has the data-pads, and she's planning to give them to their owners. Oh, and Fett gave Leia to the Empire. Go him.<strong>

**REVIEW**


	3. Chapter 3

**So, parts of this chapter bug me, but I think I've rewritten them three times. This is honestly the best I could get out. Next chapter and the one following are better, I promise. In fact, I really like five. No spoilers though! Haha!**

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><p><strong><span>Chapter Three<span>**

"Empire?" Padme asked disbelievingly.

"Are you thinking what I am?" Bail asked and Padme glanced into his eyes and let out a small gasp.

"Palpatine's Empire?" she asked and he gave a shrug.

"Tarkin went into hiding not long afterwards, and then Mas Ameeda followed. It's only a logical guess."

"Then that means we're facing a graver danger than we thought," Mon Mothma summed.

"That title for the battle station isn't all that soothing either," General Rieekan of the Republic Navy said lightly, trying to ease the tension.

"They couldn't be more original than 'Death Star'?" Iblis continued along, smirking to Rieekan.

"Please, show some maturity," Mon Mothma scolded, her constant head banging with Iblis rearing its head.

"Hey, I'm just trying to bring light into a horribly dark situation," the Corellian held his hands up in defense. "What are the specs on that thing, anyway?"

"According to Anakin, the fire power could potentially destroy a planet," Bail responded.

"But is it activated?" Admiral Ackbar questioned. "Until we have proof, we have no reason to assume it isn't."

"Agreed," Padme nodded. "But where have they been sheltering this project for so long?"

"Outer Rim," Iblis shrugged. "If I was doing a secret project, I'd hide out there. There are dozens of places to keep a project secret."

"That hardly narrows it down," Mon said coolly. "Chancellor, how would we go about presenting this to the Senate?"

"I'll speak to it in a confidential meeting," Padme answered. "If we can vote on a course of action then it needs to be done now."

"You'll tie up everything like the pre-clone war days. They'll never come to a decision," Bail shook his head.

"Maybe," Padme shrugged. "But I refuse to let this go unattended. We have a new reign of senators in there now, too, ones who aren't as knowledgeable of Palpatine's reign. Maybe they will vote action?"

"It's a rather far fetched idea if you ask me," Mon sighed. "But I suppose it is the only way."

"It is," Rieekan nodded. "Say the word and I'll have my men moving."

"Thank you, Carlist," Padme smiled. "You out of everyone would be most helpful. We might need the Rogues and the other squadrons."

"Just say the word," he nodded again.

Iblis sighed and leaned back in his chair, stroking his beard. "We're sure Tarkin's in charge of this Empire, but we have no idea who else is. No second in command, no subordinates. Who ever has been recruited is probably from outer rim planets, or neutral planets even, and harbors some disdain for the Republic."

"There were only a few non-Republic planets that were not compliant with the Republic," Bail said. "And to have the number of recruits needed to run this station, as well as flagships while it was being built is astronomical."

"Several systems worth at least," Mon agreed.

"They surely have taken planets," Rieekan summed. "To try and take over the Republic without taking a few planets is absurd."

"Agreed," Padme nodded. "Now, what allies have we lost?"

"We never received a distress call," Mon sighed. "But that doesn't mean one wasn't sent."

"You think the planets are being jammed?" Bail asked.

"Maybe," she said grimly. "But I think it's more that the leaders of those planets were overthrown."

Iblis shook his head angrily. "This is an unfair situation for those planets, and now we have no idea who they are, or whether they are antagonistic towards us for the lack of backup."

"They feel the Republic has abandoned them," Padme said, a flash of pain crossing her features. "This is like the Separatists, isn't it?"

"For all intents and purposes, this is the Separatists," Bail told her. "Tarkin worked for Palpatine, and Palpatine manipulated the Separatists. They most likely have similar demands."

"No," Rieekan shook his head. "They would have evolved. Tarkin's no idiot. He would assume complete power immediately."

"You think he's Emperor?" Mon asked and Rieekan shook his head.

"No, but I'm sure he flaunts power like he is."

"That's hardly trivial," Mon said, restraining herself from rolling her eyes.

"Maybe," he shrugged. "But what I'm saying is that whatever we may think we know based on the documents recovered after Palpatine's death, we don't. Tarkin will have changed things to his liking. For all we know, they could still be using a droid army."

"That's hardly our biggest problem," Mon interjected. "We need to focus on the presentation to the senate. We can't walk in and announce that fight will take place."

"I never said we would," Padme shook her head. "You may be my most trusted colleagues, but this is hardly a matter to hide. The senate must know what we do. All of it. Regardless of the knowledge that will return to this Empire."

"That's dangerous," Bail said. "But I think it's the only working solution."

"I agree," Iblis nodded, running his thumb and forefinger along his jaw. Mon Mothma shot him a disapproving look but said nothing.

"I hardly agree," she forced out after a moment.

"No one said you had to," Iblis said lightly before standing and cutting off her rebuttal. "I have other matters to attend to, but do not fear interrupting them. This is my highest priority."

"Thank you, Senator," Padme said, a small smile gracing her face. "Why don't we all call this meeting to an end. We can hardly get any more discussion done tonight."

The group nodded and broke up. Padme sighed as the last member left her office. She rubbed at her temples before checking her commlink, having silenced it for the duration of the meeting. Several new messages awaited her, mostly about various senate bills. One came from Ani saying that the Jedi had arrived and were currently in the apartment, while another came from Luke regarding his sister's continued survival.

At least that was a comforting idea. It didn't seem that this Empire really wanted to harm Leia, nor hold her for ransom. It was a stalemate still, and that unnerved her. There was no visible return to her only daughter in sight.

She groaned and stood up from her desk, grabbing her cloak and rushing out of the office. She needed to get home and finally feel like she was doing something to save her daughter.

Anakin watched as the Jedi Masters left the apartment. The sun over Coruscant had set and the Weather Control had shifted the temperature down to a brisk chill, causing Anakin to give a shudder as he passed out of the warm apartment and onto the balcony.

"Fancy a drink?" a voice called from the side and Anakin glanced over to see Han sitting in a lounge chair and lifting up a bottle of what looked like Whyren's Reserve.

Anakin tossed the idea of drinking his pain of his missing daughter away over in his mind before settling on the idea of one glass.

"Yeah," he nodded, taking his seat next to Han on the opposite chair. "What are you doing out here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Han asked with a slight chuckle as he poured Anakin a glass. "Drinking my guilt."

"It wasn't your-"

"Don't give me that Bantha Fodder, Anakin," Han cut him off. "I took Leia to Tatooine in some misguided attempt to keep her safe. I should have thought through the idea Fett might be working for him. My fault."

Anakin let out a long breath at the end of Han's speech. He was right, in a way. Han was the reason Leia was on Tatooine to get taken. But the same thing would have happened if they had gone to Naboo or Alderaan or Ord Mantell.

"This is really tearing you up inside, isn't it?" he asked after a moment and Han nodded.

"You have no idea."

Anakin gave a slight smirk as he could feel Han's anguish rolling off him in waves. The Corellian was very strong minded, even if Anakin had never felt the need to use the Force against him before.

"Maybe," Anakin ended up shrugging out. "But I know that sitting here and drinking is doing neither of us any good."

"Maybe," Han snorted, taking another sip of his drink. Anakin followed suit, grimacing at the rough burn of the drink.

The sat in silence for a moment more, staring at the traffic patterns of the night sky before them. Anakin's thoughts drifted outwards, and into the past. The past was a safe place at the current moment. Leia was there, safe, secure, playing Senator to Naboo and idealist like her mother. But as his thoughts drifted further, they became less and less a haven and into the un-dealt with memories of the two Force Sensitive twins that invaded his heart so long ago.

"You have any family, Han?" Anakin asked, and Han turned to give a curious look.

"Dunno," he shrugged. "I suppose I've got a good for nothing cousin back on Corellia, but other than that I have no idea. Why?"

"No reason," Anakin shrugged. "Just knew someone about twenty years back with your name."

"Solo?" Han questioned and Anakin nodded. "Well, I wouldn't know if we were related or not. What's their name?"

Anakin chuckled and shook his head. "Names. Actually, Luke and Leia are named after them."

"Is that true," Han chuckled, realizing the familiar warmth he'd drunken himself into was messing with his speech patterns.

"It is," Anakin nodded. "They were some of the nicest kids you'd ever meet. They died at exactly the same moment too, according to Bail."

"What'd they die of?"

"Brain tumor," Anakin said roughly, feeling the sorrow fill him up again. "Real sudden. They got it at exactly the same moment too. It was the oddest thing, really."

"That is odd," Han agreed. They slipped into silence for awhile before the sound of the front door opening and sliding shut sounded and Luke's voice cut through the quiet. Padme was home.

Anakin stood and headed into the house, his eyes closing at the bright light.

"Hey, you're home," he called out and Padme nodded, falling into his arms and holding him tightly.

"Long day," she mumbled before he could ask. "How are things here?"

"Fine," Ahsoka's voice sounded and Anakin glanced back at her.

"I didn't know you were still here, Snips," he said, grinning lightly at her.

"Had something to talk to you all about," she shrugged.

"Tell us over dinner," Anakin suggested and she nodded. Padme pulled herself from his grip to start heading to the kitchen when Anakin grasped her wrist lightly and pulled her back. "I'll get it. Go rest."

She gave a grateful smile and turned to their room. Anakin watched her leave before heading into the kitchen to cook dinner.

Conversation was lacking as the group ate dinner. Han pushed his bantha stew around the bowl as Ahsoka fidgeted next to him nervously. Luke and Mara kept tossing teasing comments back and forth, trying to alleviate the tension. Anakin and Padme remained quiet as well, well aware of the tension that surrounded the table.

Finally, with a sigh, Anakin set his spoon down and looked to his old Padawan. "What's up, Snips? You've been awkward this whole meal. Completely off from your normal self."

"Sorry," she mumbled, hiding her face from view and spooning a large chunk of bantha up and taking a bite.

"None of that," Anakin chastised. "What's on your mind. You said you had something to talk about?"

She sighed in turn and pushed her food away, leaning over to where her bag lay at her feet and pulling out the two data-pads. She handed one to Luke and another to Anakin.

"These are from Luke," she said, then glanced towards Padme, wagering how the woman would react. "Solo."

Anakin's head snapped up as he looked at Ahsoka sharply. "What?"

"They told me not give it to you until the time was right," she sighed, hugging her arms close to her chest. "So I waited. The Force let me know now was the time."

"But Leia," Luke started and Ahsoka shrugged.

"I know," she said. "But now's the time."

"What exactly are on these?" Anakin asked and Ahsoka winced. This was not going all that well.

"I've never read them," she answered. "They were passphrase locked. All I was given was one hint: Solo. I don't know what it means."

"Han?" Padme asked and Han looked back to her. "Do you have some sort of idea?"

"Not one," he responded. "I didn't even know of Luke and Leia's namesakes until today."

Padme glanced at her husband before nodding and letting out a sigh. "Could their names work?"

"Anything could work," Anakin sighed before punching in the code. A negative beep sounded and Anakin shook his head. "Nope, something else."

Luke stared at the data-pad in his hands. The data-pad written by someone he'd never known, nor would. But apparently he would know the clue.

_Solo_

The word hung heavy in his mind, and the familiar tingling of the Force brushed at the base of his skull. He knew the answer. He was positive of it, but he wasn't sure why he knew it.

_You think Han is the key?_ Mara sent through their small bond. She rarely used it, and it startled Luke for a moment that the other voice in his head wasn't Leia's.

_Maybe_, he sent back. Quietly he typed in Han's name, and the green flash indicated he'd successfully opened the data-pad. He looked up and locked eyes with Ahsoka, who seemed to know what he'd accomplished. Everyone else at the table with the exception of Mara was oblivious, and Luke planned to keep it that way.

"Ahsoka, you must know something about these notes," Anakin sighed, clearly frustrated.

"I do," she nodded. "But I honestly don't know how to tell you. I've had twenty years to contemplate what went on all those years ago, and I'm still not sure what exactly could have happened."

"Let's start with what you know then," he said, leaning in and crossing his arms. Ahsoka swallowed heavily at the intimidating sight of her old master.

"Okay, well," she started. "Solo wasn't their name."

"What do you mean?" Padme asked, her heart fluttering with anticipation.

"Just that," Ahsoka shrugged. "They lied for the greater good."

"Then what was their last name, Snips?" Anakin asked in an annoyed tone.

"Well, see, they were," she scratched her head before glancing at Luke. "They were, uh..."

Luke sent a wave of encouragement out to the Torgruta, and that simple act seemed to give her the strength she needed, re-lighting all the memories of Luke and Leia from years past again.

"They were from the future, I mean, now," Ahsoka finished. "Well, four years from now, I suppose."

"That's not funny," Anakin said firmly.

"It's not a joke, Master," Ahsoka insisted. "They were Luke and Leia Skywalker."

"Skywalker?" Padme echoed, looking at her child sitting in front of her. He was a few years younger than Luke Solo had been, but at the same time what she hadn't seen for years was suddenly there. The facial features, the personality, all the similar traits she'd ignored because of the pain in her heart were faced.

"Yes," Ahsoka nodded. "They came from a really horrible future. And now it seems that that future is still coming to pass."

"What exactly did this future entail?" Anakin asked warily as the long past threat of Darth Vader loomed in his mind.

"I don't know," she said. "They wouldn't reveal all the details. I didn't even know about Palpatine until Luke and I infiltrated his office. They never said a word."

"Sounds like them," Padme smirked, a slight smile playing at her lips.

"Am I the only one that finds this remotely neat?" Mara asked, her eyes light with hidden laughter. She knocked shoulders with Luke, "You can time travel! How wizard is that?"

"Mara," Luke hissed, glancing at his parents. "Seriously, not the time."

"Lighten up, Skywalker," she laughed. "You guys even knew Solo here apparently. Why else would he be the pass phrase?"

Anakin looked at Luke with a raised eyebrow. "You cracked the code?"

Luke shrugged sheepishly. "Yeah. It was Han's name."

Han let out a low whistle and ran a hand though his shaggy hair. "You Skywalkers never have a normal day, do you?"

"Not really, no," Luke shook his head with a slight chuckle.

"Han's name isn't our password," Anakin said dejectedly, glancing back up from the pad once more.

"Try their names with Skywalker attached," Padme suggested, and Anakin glanced down and typed it in. Sure enough, the pad flashed green with admission.

"It worked," he said, eyes wide with surprise.

"Read them," Ahsoka suggested. "Privately. Think about them. Then tell us what you want us to know."

Padme nodded, standing and pulling her husband up lightly with a slight kiss to the cheek. They left the room and the four remaining people sat in silence.

"I don't want to read it alone," Luke said.

"We're here for you, Luke," Mara promised, laying a hand on his arm and giving it a slight squeeze. Luke smiled grateful at her and nodded, inhaling deeply in preparation.

"Luke and Leia," he began.

**'If you don't already know, we are you, but from the future. Or perhaps the past depending on the year. We are twenty four now, so that will give you nearly an exact count.**

**It was a wish, that sent us to the end of the Clone Wars. Luke, you were so powerful in the Force. You were the first of the new Jedi. Leia, you were one of the best politicians out there. You helped create the New Republic.**

**And you both saved Dad from the Dark side. It was a sad fate for everyone in the family, and hopefully it never becomes reality.**

**If the time really is right, then something new may be on the horizon. The Empire will no doubt try again in this timeline, and you must stop it. No one should live through what we did. The Death Star will destroy planets. It did in our time, it might in yours. Palpatine may be gone but that's a minor set back. The Empire still existed here after Dad killed him. You must make sure that the Empire falls. You're our only hope.**

**Our time here, in your past, is ending. But that's just because yours is beginning. Now, take control, and make sure the Force remains in balance.**

**May the Force be with you,**

**The 'Solo' twins**

* * *

><p><strong>Next chapter will have Anakin and Padme's letter, I promise, and we'll see how these four react to this letter. Then come the plans and we hop into the story. Yay?<strong>

**So, I'm completely curious, and Halloween is about a week away now. So, if you review (and please do), let me know what you plan to be for Halloween. If you don't celebrate Halloween (which is totally fine too), let me know why, and whether it's a personal decision or a religious one. **

**If you aren't dressing up this year, or can't, let me know why as well, or what you would dress up as if you could. **

**If you remember from Author notes past, I'm dressing up as Leia, and my sister is dressing up as Mara. She totally looks better though. She dyed her hair red and actually looks good. I'm just blonde... Sadness. **

**REVIEW + Halloween Note!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I must have rewritten the first part three or four times a few months ago, and I've added to it more today and I still don't like it. But once we meet a character, I'm super happy again. So I really don't know what to say regarding this chapter...**

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Chapter Four<strong>**

**'Dear Mom and Dad,**

**We're sorry we deceived you, but it was to make sure we didn't change the future too much.**

**In our time, we didn't know either of you, and when we came here, we found out how amazing you two were—Are. We loved you so much in that short time we knew you. And Luke had loved you, Dad, even as you were still trying to turn him to the darkside.**

**Yes, you were Darth Vader. We still aren't really sure how Palpatine turned you, and we also don't know how you died, Mom. I, Leia, grew up with Bail on Alderaan, and Luke with Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen. We didn't even meet until we were 19. Luke and Han rescued me on the Death Star, ironically enough.**

**Hopefully you never know the evil that was that space station. But it can be defeated. If they follow the original schematics, an exhaust port is just wide enough for a proton torpedo to make the shot. Luke made it out in time.**

**I'm sorry to burden you with this information, but you must know. Luke doesn't know I'm adding all this information. The Empire can't exist, and if they try in your timeline, you need to defeat them. Hundreds of lives are at stake.**

**Tarkin ran the Death Star originally, and he might run it in this timeline too. You must stop him before he uses it. He did in our timeline on Alderaan. You mustn't let that happen again. The Force screamed with the loss that day, even if Luke and I couldn't feel it.**

**Dad, in the end, you returned to the light. I want you to know that, and so does Luke, I'm sure. He bragged about it for weeks afterwards. Even after he started planning the new Jedi Order, he kept reminding me that he brought you back.**

**Don't hold this secret against Ahsoka. Please. She and Yoda were the only ones we told, and Yoda wasn't even around to help us. He immediately went off to Kashyyyk. She had to bear this secret alone.**

**I hope this timeline is much brighter than ours. If the Force looks kindly at us, it is. But danger could still occur, and any Remnant of the Empire needs to be eradicated. The best of luck to you.**

**May the Force be with you,**

**Leia and Luke**

Padme wiped a stray tear off her cheek as Anakin finished the note. It was sensory overload for her, and part of her just wanted to curl up in her husband's arms and go back to a day before Leia left for Yavin. Clearly things were repeating themselves, and Force only knew why they had to take this path twice.

"Padme?" Anakin's soft and soothing voice called out and she glanced up at him. She saw the unshed tears in his eyes as well and threw her self into his grip anyway. He clung tightly to her, burying his face in her hair. "We'll get Leia back."

She nodded, wondering why it still startled her that he knew exactly what her thought path was sometimes. "I know, Ani."

He nodded against her head, content just to hold his love and let everything sink in.

* * *

><p>"Interesting," Mara noted, leaning back in her chair and placing her arms behind her head.<p>

"I'll say," Han sighed, shaking his head slightly at the sudden information overload.

There was a buzzing in the back of Luke's head and he shook it to clear his thoughts. Leia was facing the very thing they'd faced before. It was maddness, really. And ironic too.

"You alive, Kid?" Han's voice cut through and Luke nodded.

"Just thinking," he said and Han nodded warily.

"Sure," Han drew out, glancing at Mara who shrugged.

"Han," Luke started, looking up and alive suddenly. "The _Falcon's_ computer stores the jump points for awhile afterwards, right?"

"Yeah, why?" Han asked before realization hit. "You can't honestly think that station is still there?"

"Why not?" Luke shrugged. "It's in the middle of nowhere and the majority of ships dump their log after every return to realspace. The YT freighter is older. Not many of them are even still around."

"Yeah, I know," Han rolled his eyes. "But Leia and I picked up that transmission there, remember? It would be standard security to change location."

"They have to have a base," Mara put in. "Somewhere close to a planet that produces ships, I'm sure."

"There are only a few places that can supply enough ships for a whole new government," Han nodded. "We find out which ones aren't that close to the Republic and we have a list."

"Or we go to the Bounty Hunter that took Leia," Mara shrugged. "Luke has money."

"My parents have money," Luke corrected. "But his name was Boba Fett, right?"

"Yeah," Han nodded. "But that's suicide to go up to Fett with your rep. Or my rep!"

"I doubt he'll know me though," Mara offered with a wicked grin. "I'm hardly known anywhere but on Alderaan."

Luke raised an eyebrow at Han who let out a sigh.

"It could work," Han agreed against his better judgment.

"You can't be serious," Ahsoka finally spoke up. "Your parents would never allow it."

"They won't know," Luke said. "And I will use-"

He was cut off by the sudden punch that landed on the back of the Torgruta's head and knocked her out.

"HAN!" Luke cried out in alarm.

"What?" Han asked, standing. "She wanted to inform your parents. C'mon, _Falcon's_ this way."

Mara held back a chuckle at Luke's annoyance and anger that rolled off him in waves. He shook his head before double checking his lightsaber was attached to his hip and following Han out the door.

* * *

><p>"How could he have knocked you out?" Obi-Wan asked skeptically as he examined the small bruise on the back of Ahsoka's head.<p>

"I didn't even feel him coming!" she answered in an annoyed and shocked tone.

"Well, your Force sense is still strong," Anakin shrugged, his arm still wrapped around Padme's shoulders. "That's a good sign."

"Will of the Force this was," Yoda mused, hobbling past the couch where Ahsoka sat.

"It was the will of the Force to be knocked out? Great," she said sarcastically.

"They've run off to save Leia most likely," Obi-Wan sighed. "Of all the Skywalker traits to pass, you had to give them your recklessness too?"

"Hey, Han and Mara aren't even related to me," Anakin defended, not denying Luke's possible part in this scheme.

"Anakin, I think one only needs to be in your proximity for too long to become reckless," Aayla Secura laughed. Anakin rolled his eyes.

"But where they went is the real mystery," Mace said, setting things back on track. "They are probably retracing their steps."

"Tatooine?" Padme suggested and Anakin nodded.

"Most likely," he said. "Why though, I don't know."

"To find the battle station," Obi-Wan said. "It's only logical they start at Tatooine. It's a breeding ground for illicit information."

"I suppose that's most logical," Anakin nodded. "Do we go straight after them or do we wait?"

"Wait," Padme said. "If we tear through the galaxy after them, we'll never find them or catch up. They might find the coordinates and send us them."

"You are brilliant," Anakin murmured into her hair, kissing the crown of her head. "You know that?"

"On occasion," she smiled, leaning into his embrace. They remained like that for awhile, while all the other Jedi went back to strategizing and tending to Ahsoka.

* * *

><p><strong>Three days later<strong>

Mara shifted slightly in the tight black cat-suit as she entered the darkened bar. She longed for the loose, airy clothes of the Jedi instead of this skin tight suit, but it was horribly important to get the information.

She immediately spotted Fett in one of the back tables, quietly scanning his surroundings. A forgotten ale was sitting in front of him, and she guessed it was mostly for show considering the mask. She smirked and ordered her own glass of Whyren's and carried it over to the table, sliding in across from the bounty hunter.

"Hey there," she greeted, leaning back in the booth and casually throwing an arm across the back.

"Get out of here," the modulated voice greeted her. "Not interested."

"Sure you are," she shrugged, taking a small sip of her drink. "I won't even charge."

"I said get lost, Red. I don't care what you're peddling."

"Aw, now Mr. Fett, that's no way to treat someone planning to pay you with fifty-thousand credits," Mara pouted, tipping her head and looking up through her eyelashes. Though Boba Fett didn't react physically, the change in emotion drifted out wildly through the Force.

"Alright," Fett said finally. "Talk."

"You took a job almost a week ago, right here not a click from this place," Mara replied, sitting up straight and cutting the act. "Chancellor's daughter. Who'd you take her to and where?"

"Seventy-thousand and you even get names," he countered smugly.

"Sixty and you'll even tell me what they ate for breakfast. This isn't a game," she said firmly and she felt the amusement rolling off the bounty hunter.

"I like you, Red," he nodded and leaned in. A hand came up to the edge of his helmet and slipped it off his head revealing an aged face, not much older than hers that screamed of Mandalorian heritage. "I'll tell you what you want but I want thirty of that sixty sitting in my pocket first."

"Smart man," she grinned and pulled out a stack of credit chips from her utility belt and divided the stack in half. She pushed them to the center of the table before returning the remaining chips to their pouch. Fett grinned and accepted the chips, briefly glancing at them before sliding them to his own belt.

"Guys a little further into this rim are planning on changing governments," he began. "Calling it an Empire. No Emperor so far as I can tell, but a guy named Tarkin runs the place. Second in command is Thrawn. He's commander, though probably not for long. Chiss. Smart, don't underestimate him. You do and you die. They ordered only the Chancellor's daughter brought in. I don't know what they plan to do with her and I didn't ask."

"Where'd you take her?"

"Lianna system," he answered. "Fourth planet, where Sienar holds its headquarters. They have a contract with this Empire for ship building by Force. They stopped manufacturing commercial ships five years ago when the Empire got serious. It's likely the Republic never even saw them disappear. Production's been down for years now."

"Let me guess, twenty?" she asked with a raised eyebrow and Fett smirked.

"You're smart," he nodded. "Thrawn's been head of the Fleet for nearly that long himself. He's a mastermind when it comes to taking systems."

"Alright, what do you know about the Death Star?"

"I'm surprised you know of it," he grinned. "You must be on the Republic's inner circle to know of that. Big Space Station, supposedly has the power to destroy a planet. Thing was mostly built by droids left over from the factories the Republic missed when they seized them. Only the ones on real obscure planets were left. Small ones at that. They've been enlisting people in the outer rim for work too."

"No clones?" she checked and Fett shook his head.

"All genetic material on Kamino was seized after the war," he explained.

"And you know this how?"

"I am one," Fett grinned. "But unaltered. I'm the good kind."

"You're a clone?" she asked disbelievingly.

"There are two suns on Tatooine aren't there?" he smirked and she rolled her eyes. "Nothing was left after the Republic went through there. Lama Su and Taun We were taken into custody after the war and they knew the specific process to modify all the clones. Very few geneticists were left after the Republic was through. Any you want to talk to are probably in Kessel living out a lovely life in a Spice Mine or Prison."

"For a clone, you don't sound bitter over this."

"I let go of everything from the clones except one, and that was the Jedi that killed my father. If you can get me to him without dying, I'd be appreciated. Until then, what happened with Kamino is of no concern."

Mara felt the fledgling bit of sympathy course through her heart before she pushed it aside. "Well, Mr. Fett," she began, reaching to her belt. "You have been of great help. Should I count on you in the future?"

He accepted the money as she pushed it across the table. "No. And tell Solo to buzz off too, Ms. Jade."

Mara stiffened at the use of her name.

"Yeah, I know who you are, Red," he nodded, leaning back in the booth. "I know about your Jedi ties. But I don't like the sound of this Empire. Political matters shouldn't concern a bounty hunter but I've been in the cross fire before when in the wrong half of a war. It's a mistake of my father's I don't care to make. Now get off Tatooine before the first sun sets. If there's anything I hate more than the idea of that Empire it's a Jedi."

"Good bye, Mr. Fett," she nodded, standing. "I wish for you we never cross paths again, and if we do, it be on friendly terms. As you said, it is not wise to go against a Jedi."

"And it's not wise to taunt a bounty hunter," he smirked, grabbing his helmet and slipping it back on. "Good bye, Ms. Jade."

She nodded once more and turned towards the exit. It didn't escape Fett's notice that as she passed by various tables, a single occupant would leave until she was trailed by two hooded forms and a wookiee.

* * *

><p>"Lianna?" Han questioned and Mara nodded, throwing herself into the navigator seat behind the copilot chair in the cockpit of the <em>Falcon<em>.

"That's what he said and it makes sense," she shrugged. "We haven't heard a single thing out of Sienar for years and Lianna is their headquarters."

"Could be coincidence though," Han countered and a growl from Chewie made him roll his eyes. "You hang out with Jedi too much, Pal. There is too luck."

"Mara's right, Han," Luke sighed. "I've got the coordinates in the navi-computer already, you might as well just take us up. The longer we stay grounded, the longer Leia is in captivity."

Han blew out a long breath before sighing and leaning back in the chair and hitting the repulsor lifts. The ship easily switched out of idle and rose off the ground. Mara dealt with control as they headed up and joined the people also trying to make the jump.

"Alright, all clear," she announced and Han nodded.

"Okay, Chewie, punch it," he instructed and the wookiee followed suit. The ship gave a small lurch and the starlines stretched into the blur of hyperspace. "Let's just hope Fett wasn't lying."

"He wasn't," Mara nodded. "I could feel it."

* * *

><p><strong>Boba Fett isn't gone forever, I assure you, but this will be the last we see of him in this story unfortunately. I really like his character, and I had a blast writing this exchange. So... Yeah. To me, this is mostly transitional. Next chapter is real short, so I'll probably post two at once next week. This once a week thing is really working out for me, so I think I'm going to stick with it, at least until I'm further into writing the next one. I plan to finish this up this weekend though, because I really want to do NaNoWriMo with the next one next month. That's a mouthful. Anyone else doing Nano? I know a handful of people on here are, but who else?<strong>

**Also, I don't have a set word count for the next one, but MPF got upwards of 60, 000 but this one is maybe 5 or 6 chapters from the finish at 30,000 so I don't have a guess yet... So what I'm saying is, give me a suggestion, and I'll probably average the guesses out into a winning number to shoot for. I'll announce the number in Chapter Five's update.**

**Don't forget to Review you guys! I love them! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the delay today! This is a two-chapter weekend, so tomorrow's chapter will hopefully be up earlier. I made the mistake of teaching my sisters how to play Force Unleashed II, and my computer runs it the best... go figure. So there's my excuse! **

**Short and diplomatic until the next chapter!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Five<strong>

"Chancellor Amidala," Senator Fey'lya, a Bothan senator said with a sigh. His fur flattened against him shyly as he worked up the courage to say what he needed to. "You have no certifiable proof regarding the true kidnappers of your daughter."

"But the recovered plans," Padme insisted, leaning against the table. The room around her was filled with Senators that made up the inner council, a newly constructed group that helped stop corruption in the Senate. Bills had to be presented there before making it to the Senate floor in order to avoid rushed, loophole filled bills.

"Chancellor, those could easily be forged in an attempt to take out an innocent group," Fey'lya shrugged.

"Watch your tone, Senator," Anakin snapped from his guard over his wife's shoulder.

"I'll do no such thing, Jedi," the Bothan snapped back, his hackles rising slightly. "You may be here under the guise of a bodyguard, but you still hold no weight here."

"That is enough, Senator," Bail stepped in. "Master Skywalker is correct and you are out of line. Chancellor Amidala is not using the plans for corruption. There is a true threat on the horizon."

"We must act now," Mon Mothma agreed in her even, calm voice.

"I can have my squadrons on their way as soon as you have coordinates," Rieekan nodded, leaning back in his chair. "If we need any more fire power than that, and by the look of those plans we do, we should consider bringing Admiral Ackbar in on this. He is currently in charge of the Mon Cal Fleet."

"This is nonsense!" Fey'lya interrupted. "You simply cannot just step in and order the military on this matter!"

"It is a matter of high security," Garm Bel Iblis said evenly. "You really wouldn't want to alert the whole Galaxy to a threat or alert that threat that we know of them now would you?"

"The Galaxy deserves to know!" Fey'lya's fur shifted again agitatedly. "This must go before the entire Senate!"

"Then we shall put it to a vote," Mon said evenly, but her face conveyed the unease she felt. "Chancellor?"

"All in favor of putting the Republic Navy to the task?" Padme asked and several Senators around the table, including Bail, Mon and Iblis raised their hands. "Opposed?"

To Anakin's dismay he watched as a clear majority rose their hands. His jaw clenched as he shared a sad look with Bail.

"Well then," Padme sighed. "I suppose the next hope is to bring it before the full Senate then."

"Thank you, Chancellor," Fey'lya grinned, his fur fluffing happily. He stood and his aide followed suit, the two proudly leaving the room. They were soon followed by many Senators until all that was left were Bail, Mon, Rieekan and Iblis as well as Padme and Anakin.

"That certainly could have gone over better," Iblis sighed, running a hand through his graying hair.

"Any word yet from Luke and Mara?" Bail asked and Anakin shook his head.

"Unless they contacted the Temple and left a message with Threepio we have nothing," the Jedi sighed. "I suppose the only way to get them is to catch them out of hyperspace."

"The _Falcon_ doesn't have a Hyperspace Comlink?" Bail asked, eyes wide. Padme chuckled.

"No," she shook her head, the first real smile in days playing against her lips. "The ship is too old to even properly support one."

"That's a shame," Bail shook his head. "Winter is on Alderaan still in case they call there."

"I doubt they will," Anakin sighed and took the now open seat next to Padme. "They won't even bother contacting us until they have something dura-crete."

"Skywalker stubbornness is hereditary I see," Rieekan laughed and Anakin nodded, grinning widely at the comment.

"I'd say Padme gave her fair share as well," Anakin teased, wrapping an arm around his wife's thin waist and rubbing his thumb along the soft fabric of her light robes.

A knock sounded at the door and Bail reached towards the control panel on the table and hit the release. The door slid back to reveal Dorme grinning slightly as she hurried in.

"A message was received in your office, Milady," she said as she handed the data-pad to Padme. "I took the liberty of checking the sender and recognized the _Millennium Falcon's_ signature."

"Oh, thank you, Dorme," Padme grinned happily, flipping the switch of the pad and reading the message. "We have coordinates. Lianna, fourth planet."

"That's Sienar's base, isn't it?" Iblis asked and Anakin nodded. "Well that explains their sudden decline in activity."

"It does?" Bail asked confused.

"Sure," Anakin shrugged. "If this Empire has taken over Sienar, they have monopolized it as the only buyer. Sienar won't be designing ships for anyone else as long as the Empire has their claws on it."

"Fantastic," Padme groaned, running her hand up her forehead. "This means they most likely have real warships as well as flag ships."

"Most likely," Rieekan nodded.

"We'll need to take off as soon as possible then," Anakin sighed. "You coming Bail?"

"To Lianna?" he asked in a surprised voice.

"Sure," Anakin grinned. "Mara's your daughter, right?"

"Damn right she is," Bail nodded. "I'll pack my bag."

"What of the Republic?" Mon asked and Padme grinned.

"You are acting Chancellor," Padme smiled. "I trust you, Mon, the only person who could responsibly hold the power besides Bail."

"Thank you, Chancellor," Mon Mothma grinned. Padme nodded and stood with her husband and Bail as they left the room. "Well, this should be fun," Mon glanced at Iblis and Rieekan who passed grins back to her.

"I don't know how I get into these messes, honestly," Obi-Wan shook his head as he followed Anakin up the ramp of their sleek, Naboo Skiff. "It must be your fault, Anakin seeing as this never happened when I was a Padawan."

"I'm contagious," Anakin shrugged. "You don't have to come if you don't want to, Master."

"Oh, like you could keep me away from running after my Padawan," Obi-Wan rolled his eyes.

"Ahsoka's staying back," Anakin pointed out.

"Because you told her to," the older Jedi smirked. "She still follows your commands to a degree, you know."

"To a degree," Anakin smirked. He opened one of the cabinets in the Cabin area and began taking inventory. "But she really does need to go back to Yavin with Master Windu and the other Jedi."

"Is that where we go after we catch up to them?"

"I figure it's the best bet," Anakin shrugged. "This has as as much to do with the Jedi as it does with the Republic."

Obi-Wan nodded as they lapsed into silence, only for a moment though as a heavy set of footsteps sounded on the ramp.

"Hello?" Bail's voice called out as he came into the cabin. "Oh, there you are. Where's Padme?"

"Going over plans with Mon Mothma," Anakin answered as he closed the cabinet, satisfied with the amount of food and supplies. He headed to the Cabin to start the pre-flight check. "Bail, why don't you drop your stuff off in the back. You can use Leia's cabin. Obi-Wan took Luke's."

"Alright then," Bail nodded, disappearing down the hallway.

"Is it all that wise to be bringing the Senator along?" Obi-Wan asked once they were in the privacy of the Cabin.

"Mara is his daughter, regardless of blood," Anakin answered simply. "If Luke was your son by everything but blood, would you be left behind?"

"My apologies," Obi-Wan nodded, taking the navigator seat behind Anakin.

"We almost ready?" Padme's voice sounded a second before she entered the cabin and took her seat in the pilot's chair.

"Almost," Anakin grinned. "Obi-Wan, how about setting in those coordinates, will you?"

Obi-Wan nodded and began punching the numbers into the navi-computer. Bail entered the cockpit at that moment and took the remaining chair before glancing at Padme and widening his eyes.

"Padme, what are you wearing?" he asked dubiously. Padme glanced back at him before looking down curiously.

"What?" she asked. "Oh, you didn't see me when I got back to Coruscant after Geonossis did you?"

A small chuckled escaped Anakin as he glanced over at his wife's white battle suit. It wasn't the one from that fateful day that began the clone wars, but it was the same design. It was probably the most form-fitting outfit she'd worn since the Twins were born. Her slim figure had returned after their birth within months, much to Padme's delight. Anakin had vehemently assured her that he loved her regardless, but she took pride in the fact that she remained in shape for him as she encroached on forty-five.

"I don't believe I did," Bail shook his head, deciding to look out the cockpit window.

"Let's get this show on the road, shall we?" Anakin asked with a grin as he rose the ship off the ground and into the sky.

"You still insist on flying the ship from the copilot's seat, don't you?" Padme rolled her eyes and took hold of the controls. With a flick of the switch she shut off the co-pilot controls and with a shudder the ship fell to her hands.

"Stubborn as ever, I see," Anakin laughed, leaning back in the chair and watching his wife pilot the ship up into the air. A few moments later they left the Coruscanti atmosphere and with a flicker of psuedomotion had jumped into hyperspace.

* * *

><p><strong>NEXT CHAPTER: Part I of Leia's rescue. My retake on the Death Star rescue. Let's see how are heros fare without Old Ben and with Mara, shall we?<strong>

**Oh, and I really only got one suggestion as to word count for NaNo. Um, I'm sorry but 70,000 was waaayyy too much. I can write that, but not in a month. LMAO. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Normal sized chapter here! **

**NOTE: If you did not read the chapter I posted yesterday, do so now. I didn't post the other chapter that early yesterday, so you might have missed it. I apologize. My excuse is over there. **

**Otherwise, continue on with the pleasantry and I'll see you at the bottom!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Six<strong>

"Reverting to realspace in ten seconds," Han announced as he placed his hand on the hyperspace lever. "You ready Chewie?"

A growl sounded in response as they watched the timer tick down to zero. A small lurch and the ship dropped, the star lines shortening back to small dots and the graying orb of Lianna fell into view. The industrial planet had nearly destroyed the local greenery, and from space you could now identify the only uninhabited pieces of land left.

"Man, this place looks worse the Coruscant," Mara noted. "Place is a dump."

"Since when does Lianna have a moon?" Luke asked and pointed the small orb that hung ominously above the planet.

"It doesn't," Han said evenly. "Chewie, that's gonna be the Death Star. Be careful."

A growl left the wookiee's lips and Han shrugged. "I don't know, fly casual."

"_Unidentified ship, state your cargo and destination."_

Mara glanced at Luke who shrugged. "We answering that?"

"I'd rather not actually," Han said and flipped a switch that turned off the radio control. A shudder went through the ship and he swore, reaching back by Mara's head to flip a few switches.

"What's going on?" Mara asked, a sinking feeling in her gut growing.

"Tractor beam," Han answered simply. "I'm shutting off all engines. They're not getting me without a fight."

"What are we going to do? The moment we get pulled in they'll board us," Mara said. "We'll be in the same boat as Leia."

A growl came from Chewie and a grin spread across Han's face.

"You are brilliant, Pal," he said, standing up and heading to the back of the ship.

"Wait!" Luke called back. "What are we doing?"

"Get your droid, Kid," Han smiled, crouching down and pulling back one of the floor panels. "We're smuggling ourselves in."

Footsteps sounded above them and Luke felt Mara tense next to him. He wrapped his hand around hers and gave a reassuring squeeze and she inhaled deeply as she relaxed.

"There's no one in here," a voice sounded above as the footsteps stopped. "Inform General Tarkin and get a scanning crew in here."

"Right away," a voice answered. The footsteps left the ship and they waited a beat before lifting the hatch and pushing the floor boar aside. Luke glanced over and saw Han doing the same thing.

"You alright?" he asked and Luke nodded.

"We got to be ready for when that scanning crew comes in here," Luke sighed, hoisting himself out of the hold. He reached down and Mara took his hand, pulling herself up and out.

"I think I have an idea," Han grinned. "Get your droid and get ready."

Luke and Mara reached down and grabbed Artoo and silently pulled him up. The small droid gave a quiet whimper and Luke patted it reassuringly on the head.

The floorboards were soon replaced and the four stood quietly in wait. After nearly five tense minutes, the sounds of the scanning crew coming up the ramp sounded and Han flattened himself against the wall, blaster held up and ready.

The first crewman rounded the corner and was met with the butt of a blaster to his face. The second barely had a moment to react before a sharp punch by Mara knocked him out cold. Their bodies were pulled away from the entrance quietly as Han called out to the troopers on guard at the bottom.

"Hey! Could you give us some help down there?"

The two guards fell for it and made their way up the ramp. Mara rolled her eyes to Luke before slipping in front of the two guards and swinging her leg up to hit one in the head and unsnapping her lightsaber from her belt to land a blunt hit on the head of the other.

"That was way too easy," Luke sighed, reaching down and pulling off the helmet of one of them men and examining it. "How do they even see out of these things?"

"They don't," Han said, snatching up the second helmet off the trooper's head.

"That's mine, Solo," Mara grinned, grabbing the helmet out of Han's hands.

"Hey!" he called back as she crossed the room to begin prying off the body armor.

"She's right, Han," Luke sighed. "Neither of us will fit in those scanner's suits. That just leaves you."

"Well what about Chewie?" Han asked, crossing his arms.

"Chewie can be our prisoner," Mara shrugged and Chewie let out a low growl. "You know I meant for show you big carpet, now c'mon. We have a Senator to rescue."

"Mara, wait!" Luke called out as she started for the ramp. "We don't even have a plan of attack!"

"We take the control room, find out where the detention bay is, then grab Leia," she said, turning again for the ramp.

"Just like that?" he asked in surprise.

"Give it up, Kid," Han shrugged past him. "No one in your circle ever has a plan."

Luke started to retort and then realized that Han was right. Instead he gave a sigh and started forward after them.

* * *

><p>The walk towards the control room that oversaw the Hangar bay was short, and thankfully uneventful. No one saw them as they quickly was walked through the halls.<p>

"Kriff," Han cursed as they came to the door labeled 'Flight Control'.

"What?" Mara asked, glancing back the way they came.

"There's a control pad," he said. "We don't have the code."

"Blast it," Mara shrugged.

"No!" Luke protested. "We cannot just blast our way in here! The whole station will know we're here!"

At that moment the door in front of them slid open and an aged man in a crisp gray uniform stopped in surprise as he noticed them.

Before anyone could say a word, the but of the rifle in Han's hands snapped out and struck the man square in the nose. The sound of his collapse on the floor drew the attention of the other officers and troopers in the room. Mara had her lightsaber in her hand a moment before the first blaster shot was fired. She stepped in front of the group and quickly caught all the bolts sending them back to the owners.

She stood for a moment with her purple blade out in front of her as the final men fell to the floor. She retracted the blade and returned it to her belt, tossing a grin over her shoulder at Luke.

"I could've helped you know," he sputtered out to save face.

"Next time be faster on the draw, Farmboy," she teased and pushed one chair clean of a slumped over officer and took the seat. She glanced back at them with a raised eyebrow before looking back at the small blue astromech at Luke's thigh. "You gonna sit there all day, Artoo?"

With an annoyed string of beeps the droid rolled forward and immediately plugged into the computer terminal.

Han walked across the floor and sat himself down as well, fiddling with the controls to see what they did. "Hey, Kid," he called over his shoulder and Luke made a humming sound in question, still hunched over Artoo to see the screen and the files in the computer. "What about that tractor beam? How are we gonna get that gone long enough to get out of here?"

Luke glanced back at Han and shrugged. "No idea. Maybe we can get Artoo to shut it down?"

A twitter came from Artoo as the droid spun his dome happily.

"What's he saying?" Mara asked and Luke glanced back down at the screen.

"Leia is being held in cell block AA23," he read. "What about that tractor beam?"

A pause and Artoo beeped once more.

"From the bridge?" Luke asked in a sad tone. They'd never sneak on long enough to disable it from there.

"We can't do that," Han shook his head.

"I know," Luke sighed. "Artoo, see if there is a manual shut off or at least some backdoor terminal for you."

Mara watched as Artoo sped through all the files in the computer too fast to possibly comprehend for humans. They suddenly stopped and a picture of a terminal appeared on the screen.

"There's the manual shut down," Luke said and Han let out a low whistle.

"How in the nine Corellian Hells are we supposed to get there?"

"We could split up?" Luke suggested with a shrug and Mara shook her head.

"You are a danger magnet, Skywalker and with your sister as well I just am not prepared to take those risks," she said firmly. "Artoo, you go and see if you can get those taken out. Keep the comm on you though in case we need you."

Artoo let out an angry whistle but Luke shushed him. "She's right, Artoo. We need you to do this for us. It'll take all four of us to get Leia anyway. When you're finished just meet us down by the ship."

The droid whistled in compliance before heading out of the control room. The door slid shut behind him and the four remaining occupants looked at each other for the next move.

"Now, we put our plan for Chewie in order!" Mara said happily, ignoring the low growl emanating from the wookiee. Han cracked a small grin towards Luke who just shook his head and tossed Mara the binders off the belt of the officer at his feet.

* * *

><p>The lift door slid open and the three humans and wookiee stepped out in waiting for the commander to make the first move. Han stood to the side of Mara and Luke now dressed in stolen officer's clothes instead of the scanning crew clothing. The detention bay's commander walked over and looked them over, judging them.<p>

"Where are you taking this," he paused, eyeing Chewie. "Thing?"

Mara gritted her teeth at the commander's blatant Xenophobic ways as Luke spoke up.

"Prisoner transfer," he lied smoothly. "Cell block 1138."

Mara glanced out her peripheral and was met with the sides of the helmet. How the troopers ever saw out of them was a mystery to her as they were possibly the worse design she'd ever seen before.

"I wasn't notified," the commander said, an air of suspicion in his voice. "I'll have to clear it."

"_Now,"_ she sent to Luke.

"_Wait for it," _he sent back. She gritted her teeth impatiently as the commander turned his back slightly to them. _"Now!"_

Mara gave Chewie's binders a nudge with the Force and they slipped off his arms.

"Look out, he's loose!" Han cried out as Chewie took a step forward, waving his arms around crazily.

Luke tossed his gun into Chewie's hands and the wookiee caught it easily, firing off with ease at the various guards around the room. Luke glanced up at the various security cameras and with a swift flick of his hand had them torn from the walls. The blaster fire ceased as quickly as it started and one final shot rang out as Han clipped the last security camera.

"Find out what cell Leia is in!" Luke called out, already heading towards the passage where the cells were.

Han rushed around the control panel and ran through the register in the computer. "Twenty-one Eighty-seven! Go!"

Luke nodded and darted down the path.

"You gonna get that?" Mara asked with a raised eyebrow and Han looked down at the blinking comm unit.

"Sith, uh," he ran through possible scenarios in his head before slapping the button with a wince. "Uh, everything's under control. Situation normal."

Mara rolled her eyes as the voice on the other end of the comm replied._ "What happened?"_

"Uh, we had uh," he glanced at Mara and she held up her hands in surrender. Han furrowed his brow and glanced back down. "We had a slight weapons malfunction. But everything's alright now. We're fine, we're all fine... uh, how are you?"

Mara pressed her lips together in an effort not to burst out laughing. Her glance at Chewie didn't help matters any as she saw the wookiee shaking his head back and forth in disapproval.

"_We're sending a squad up."_

"Uh, negative! Negative!" Han replied a little too quickly. "We have a uh, reactor leak here, give us a few minutes to lock it down. Uh, large leak, very dangerous!"

"_Who is this? What's your operating number?"_

"Uh," Han hesitated before grabbing the rifle off the control panel next to him and firing a single shot into the comm unit. "Boring conversation anyway," he said when he noticed Mara's raised brow.

"That was pathetic," she said after a moment and Chewie let out a chuckle.

"I'd like to see you do better, Red," Han rolled his eyes.

* * *

><p>Luke skidded to a stop in front of Leia's cell and hit the release. The door slid up with a release of air and he paused for a moment, joy filling his heart as he saw his sister again.<p>

She woke up from what was apparently a nap and pushed up to lean on her elbow, eying him with superiority he'd only seen successfully used by her, his mother and Mara.

"Aren't you a little short for a stormtrooper?" she asked with a smirk and Luke shook his head. Even as a prisoner Leia could belittle her enemies with words.

"You'd think they'd notice that, wouldn't you?" he asked as he slid off the helmet.

"Luke!" she cried out and launched herself up off the bench and into her brother's arms. "You came!"

"You didn't think I'd leave you to this Empire, did you?" he asked with a smirk and pulled out of the hug.

"No," she laughed. "Are Mom and Dad here?"

"No," he blushed and looked away. "We kinda snuck out on the _Falcon_."

"Luke!" she cried out in a disapproving tone.

"Well, I..." he searched for the words. "See there was this note—"

Mara skidded to a stop in front of the cell door, and poked her head in. "Hey, I hate to break up this reunion be we are getting shot at up here."

Leia's eyes widened as she pushed past Luke and into the hallway. He followed her closely as they leaned against the wall next to the door. Han stood in the front of the group with Chewie on the other side of the wall, each laying down cover fire.

"This is some rescue," Leia noted sarcastically and Han let out a snort.

"Maybe you'd like it back in your cell, Your Worship," he said, firing off another string of shots.

"Don't call me that," she hissed. She glanced around hoping to spot another weapon and caught sight of a grate, the word "Garbage" written in bold above it. She smiled and glanced up at Luke. "Luke, hand me your blaster."

"Why?" Luke asked before shaking his head in dismissal and tossing it back to her. She caught it with practiced ease and fired a shot into the grate.

Han and Mara jumped at the unexpected shot from behind.

"For Kriff's sake, Leia!" Han shouted back. She started to climb in when she glanced up and noticed his gaze.

"Into the Garbage Chute, Flyboy," she smirked and dove in.

"Did she...?" Mara asked, and Luke swallowed heavily and nodded.

"She did," he said and Mara rolled her eyes.

"Here goes nothing," she said before jumping down after Leia. Luke listened but couldn't hear her hit the garbage below, a fact that unnerved him slightly.

"Your sister is either insane or... She's insane," Han nodded, cutting himself off from finishing the comment.

"She's a Skywalker," Luke laughed with a shrug, deciding now was not the time to confront Han on his feelings for his twin. "C'mon."

Luke dove down the chute and Han glanced up at Chewie. "Your turn, Pal."

Chewie growled and quickly crossed the hallway, leaning against the wall and wincing at the smell from the chute.

"Get in there!" Han called. "I don't care what you smell!"

Chewie narrowed his eyes slightly and leaned down once more. An unexpected kick from Han in the back tipped his balance and he slid down with an annoyed growl.

"One for the team, right?" Han asked to no one but himself and dove into the chute, letting out a yell on the way down.

* * *

><p><strong>I don't really know how many of you have heard of it, but there is this online comic strip called Blue Milk Special that is fairly funny. Just google it, trust me. It's a chronological parody of SW. I'm only just passed the holiday special, so I still have a ways to go. But this thing is hilarious. <strong>

**In other news, it's raining here, so I'm in the perfect writing mood right now. I'll probably watch RotS in blu-ray later though. I have to watch it with my sisters, especially since this is the first time one of them is watching SW, and they're only here twice a month. As much as I love this saga, I can't watch two movies a day. Especially with the prequels. I read fanfic for the majority of AotC yesterday. Gods, that is my least favorite movie. I really, really don't like it. **

**Now that that's said, I have the third story of this to write, and John Williams to listen to. RotS soundtrack=Win. **

**NEXT CHAPTER: Part II of the Death Star Rescue. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Han landed with a thud on the top layer of garbage and rolled down the small mountain towards the murky water that lined the garbage room. He caught himself in time and avoided landing face first much to his pleasure.

"Oh, this is fantastic, Your Highnessness!" he called out sarcastically, making sure everyone was well aware of his displeasure at the current situation. "What a wonderful smell you've discovered!"

"Oh, give it up, Han," Mara cut him off. "Let's just get out of here."

"The Empire is probably well aware of where we went by now," Luke sighed, pushing a piece of broken metal off to the side.

"What about Artoo?" Mara asked and Leia snapped her head to her brother.

"You brought Artoo?" she asked, crossing her arms. "And you forgot to mention this?"

"Get off your Bantha, Leia," Luke waved dismissively at her. "I've been a little busy, you know?"

"Doesn't matter," Mara ended the fight before it could escalate. "Call that tin can and get him to unlock the door."

Luke nodded and thumbed on the comm, "Artoo, you there?"

A series of hushed beeps yelled back at him through the small device and Han let out a small chuckle from his corner of the garbage heap.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry," Luke rolled his eyes. "I need you to do us a favor. Are you plugged into the computer?"

An affirmative beep replied and Luke smiled. "Good, I need you to open up the garbage room number 3263827."

A moment passed before a loud clanking sounded and the door to the room slid open.

"Finally," Han mumbled under his breath as he leaned by the open door. He held his hand out to help Leia through but the stubborn senator rolled her eyes and pushed past him. Mara smirked as she passed and followed Leia's example. "Can't even show a decent bit of Chivalry around here," he grumbled, rolling his eyes as the girls passed.

Luke smirked and pocketed the comm before pushing past Han. "Looks that way, doesn't it?"

Han rolled his eyes and glanced at Chewie, who stood there with a grin on his face and a paw outstretched, waiting for Han's assistance.

"Get goin' you useless pile of fur," he gruffed out and ignored the wookiee's amused laughter. They stood in the hallway just outside the door when a loud metallic bang sounded through the garbage room.

"What was that?" Leia asked and Han stuck his head back in and let out a low whistle.

"Room was a trash compactor," he replied as he pulled back into the hallway. "Lucky we got out of there now or we all would have been a lot thinner."

Luke let out a low chuckle as he began peeling off the various bits of armor.

"You say these guys are called Stormtroopers?" he asked Leia and she nodded.

"That's what they refer to them as," she shrugged.

"Can't see a damn thing through those helmets," Mara said in a disgusted tone. "No wonder they couldn't get us back in that hallway."

"I'm not arguing," Han laughed and yanked at the hidden buttons of his uniform.

"Uniform suits you," Leia noted with a grin, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.

"Yeah, but I don't suit it," he mumbled and then paused, replaying that phrase back in his mind. "Wait, that didn't work..."

Leia let out a laugh as he shook his head and returned to pulling the buttons. "Here," she said and he looked up. She crossed the space between them and pushed his hands away before undoing the buttons herself.

"You know if you wanted to get me undressed, all you had to do was ask," he grinned down at her crookedly. A flush of embarrassment went through her veins and she dropped the now unbuttoned shirt and stalked down the hallway, taking the wall space next to Chewie as far away from Han as she could manage.

Han chuckled and slid the shirt off before quickly undoing the belt and and sliding the pants off. He stood back up in his newly revealed pilot's garb with a happy grin on his face. "Well, it's good to be out of that!"

"Yeah, whatever, let's get going," Mara said, pushing off the wall with the borrowed blaster and tossing it into Leia's hands as she passed.

Leia caught it with a start and turned to follow down the hall. The group quickly moved down the halls unnoticed before stopping at a window above the hangar.

"There it is," Han said with a grin as he looked down upon the _Falcon_.

"Not much, is it?" Leia sniped back at him and turned away from the window and towards the hall.

"Watch it," he called after her. "You can float home if you rag on your escape too much."

Leia snorted but her laughter died short as she turned a corner, straight into a squadron of Stormtroopers.

"Hey you!" one of the troopers shouted. "Stop right there!"

Han fired off a shot and the trooper flew back. "Get back to the ship!" he called out behind him and took off running after the now retreating squad.

"Han!" Leia cried out and took off after him, with Chewie hot on her heels.

Luke made a move to go but Mara grabbed his forearm and pulled him back. "They'll be fine. Let's try this way."

She spun them around and they ran down the hall in the opposite direction. They turned the corner and immediately turned the following one as another squad of troopers cut them off. Shouts of 'Stop!' and 'Hold it right there!' trailed behind them.

"There!" Mara pointed towards a ramp and they darted up. Luke stopped abruptly and nearly lost his balance as they came to a retracted catwalk. Her arm shot out and caught his, narrowly saving his life.

"Thanks," he breathed out as his balance regained.

"Sure thing," she mumbled distractedly. Her eyes caught sight of the control panel and she hit it roughly. The door behind them slid down quickly and she grinned. "Okay, now where are you...?"

"What?" Luke asked, glancing back at her.

"Stang," she mumbled then called over her shoulder, "No lock."

"Sure," Luke shrugged and stepped past her. He ignited his lightsaber and shoved the blade into the control panel with a few sparks.

"What are you doing?" Mara cried out and he glanced back. "The controls for the bridge were in there!"

Luke turned back to the panel and frowned. "Oh."

"Yeah!" she said with a huff. "Now how are we going to get across?"

Luke opened his mouth to respond but a bolt from higher up cut him off. The two jumped behind the wall into cover and ignited their blades.

"I'll hold them off, you find a way to get us across before those troopers get through the door," she said and stepped out of cover, violet blade humming quickly with every stroke.

Luke stood awestruck at her for a moment before focusing. He glanced around a moment before spotting a hanging beam not more than two levels up. He grinned and reached down, unhooking his grappling hook from his belt in the process.

"Today would be great, Skywalker!" Mara shouted over her shoulder. Luke shook his head and tossed the hook into the air, and with only a small Force nudge hooked it securely above them.

"Alright!" he called out and she stepped back into cover. The firing had ceased just a moment prior as the last fired bolt struck it's owner, killing him in the process. Mara latched onto Luke quickly, wrapping her arms around his neck.

The sudden proximity to him startled her slightly and the urge to push away was stifled down quickly. Her heart beat picked up a pace as Luke glanced at her and paused, brilliant blue eyes staring expectantly into her jade ones.

Luke gave a cough and cleared his throat before speaking. "Um, you ready?"

"What?" she asked and then shook her head and nodded. "Yeah, go."

He gave a single nod before leaping off the ledge and into the air. A clean arch down took them across the area, and Mara was grateful when her feet touched solid ground. That was more adventure than she preferred.

Luke severed the line and they headed back into the halls, following them until they came out on the opposite side of the Hangar than they'd started.

The forms of Han, Leia and Chewie stood at the end of the path as they skidded to a halt.

"Took you guys long enough," Han grunted before scanning the hallway once more. Several troopers stood in the far corner on guard, their helmets trained straight ahead.

"One sec," Luke mumbled and reached out with the Force. There was a large crate just opposite their ship that would play nicely for a distraction. He tipped it over and the lid popped off, spilling its contents across the floor messily. "Okay, now!"

The group darted forward, and into the open. Han hit the release for the ramp door and paused as he realized he hadn't closed it. He darted up the ramp quickly, his blaster at the ready. A series of indignified beeps filtered through the cabin area and Han let out a sigh as Artoo rolled into view.

"All clear," he called down, though nobody had really waited for him anyway. Chewie entered the ship last and closed the hatch and together he and Han took off for the cockpit.

"Let's hit the guns, Farmboy," Mara called, already heading for the ladder than sat in the cabin area. With a simple nod, Luke took off after her, taking the opposite gun from her. Leia glanced about and noticed she was suddenly all alone. She rolled her eyes and headed off to the cockpit.

Han and Chewie were hurrying through the pre-flight routine as she took the spot in the navigator seat.

"Hey, Your Worship, make yourself useful and punch in the Yavin Coordinates," Han called to her.

"Don't call me that," she sneered back at him but pulled up the navi-computer anyway. "They'll be tracking us. We should head to Coruscant."

"No," he shook his head. "We're going to the temple. With any luck that's where your parents are."

"Fine," she shrugged indifferently. "Get us recaptured."

"Listen-" Han started but got cut off as the inner-ship comm system came to life on the dashboard.

"We gonna sit in the hanger all day or we planning to escape soon?" Mara's annoyed tone came over.

"That girl, I swear," Han mumbled under his breath before hitting the repulsors. Within a swift movement the ship hovered over the hanger floor and turned around before blasting out at full speed.

"Six fighters leaving another hangar," Leia called, tracking the movements of the enemy ships on the scanner.

"Got that, Luke?" Han asked into the comm.

"Loud and clear, we're on it."

The high pitched wail of the ships' engines sounded as they pulled in close and the _Falcon_ rocked with deflected bolts.

"Hold together, Baby," Han murmured as he dipped the ship down and out of the current firing path. The six- no five ships followed and the cheers of Luke and Mara sounded as the count went down to four.

"Chewie, see if you can't put more power into the auxillary shields, would you?" Han asked and the wookiee nodded, his furry paw moving about over the board as he transferred power over.

"Another ship gone," Leia noted and Han merely grunted before yanking hard on the yoke and flipping the ship around. The enemy fighters screamed past and now the _Falcon_ held the offensive. With a few hits to the controls, one of the added guns on the belly of the ship extended and shot out at the hexagonal fighters.

"There's another ship showing up on the scanner!" Leia cried out, as the large dot appeared on the scanner.

"Just what we need," Han rolled his eyes. "See if you can-"

"They're hailing us," Leia cut him off and Han glanced back at her.

"You sure?"

"Positive," she nodded. "Setting up communications," a few more button pushes, "_Millennium Falcon_ to Unidentified Ship."

"_Leia?"_ a distinctly feminine voice asked and Leia's eyes widened as she placed the voice.

"Mom?"

"_Oh, thank Force you're all right!" _Padme announced happily. _"Are you hurt?"_

"No," Leia assured her. "What are you doing here?"

"_You guys sent us the coordinates," _her mother responded.

"Meet us at the Temple," Leia said, preferring to end this conversation soon in case any Imperials were listening in.

"_Understood. Obi-Wan, punch in those coordinates,"_ she heard her mother say before the comm channel closed. Leia sighed and glanced over at Han and Chewie. They were no doubt listening in but both of them faced forward. Her attention shifted back to the scanner as the last dot disappeared.

"_That was the last one, Solo,"_ Mara commed.

"Prepare to make the jump," Han replied and he nodded once to Chewie and the two pushed up the lever easily. There was a slight jolt and the ship slipped into hyperspace with practiced care. The entire Force sense of the ship's occupants seemed to relax as they realized they had finally slipped into safety.


	8. Chapter 8

******So the formatting last week for this site was off for some reason for me, and I couldn't get in here to edit the chapter and tag on an A/N without possibly messing up the script. But this week is all normal, it seems, so you get to listen, or rather, read me blather on once more. **

**Totally not going to make NaNo this year, though I didn't have that high of hopes anyway. I'm barely on the third chapter, but the storyline for the next one in this series is hopefully better. Writing this and reading some really higher quality fics (Rec at the bottom) have taught me alot about writing. I'm always learning.**

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><p><strong>Chapter Eight<strong>

Chewie stood from his spot in the copilot's seat, rumbling something about power cuplings and left the cockpit. Leia sat stubbornly for a moment in the navigator's seat before moving to the copilot's.

"They're tracking us, you know," she spit out, her anger coming to rest in her chest.

"What?" Han asked, turning his attention from the control panel to her.

"I said," she stated again, "they're tracking us. We got out too easy."

"Easy?" Han asked, annoyance coating his tone as well. "You call that easy?"

"Yes," she nodded firmly. "And there's going to be a tracker somewhere on this ship."

"Not this ship, sister," Han shook his head.

Leia shook her head and leaned back against the seat. There was no way to get through to the infuriating ex-smuggler. He was just too stubborn.

"You know, Your Worship," Han started, a smug look on his face. "You're pretty bossy for someone who was just rescued."

"Don't start."

"Why not? Too afraid to say thank you?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. Leia grit her teeth in agitation.

"You really don't care what I went through before you got there, do you?" she asked, a shake to her head. She started to get up when a hand caught her wrist. She looked down at Han and her anger began to melt as she saw his apologetic face.

"Leia," he started but she closed her eyes and yanked out of his grip.

"I don't care," she whispered firmly. With a turn of her head she headed out of the cockpit. The door whooshed open and shut before Han could even think. Guilt coursed through his veins.

"Kriffin' Idiot," he cursed to himself. "Stoopa, stoopa, stoopa."

"What'd you do this time?"

Han glanced back and rolled his eyes. Luke shook his head and flopped down unceremoniously into the seat Leia had vacated.

"Aw, you know," Han shrugged, monkeying with the controls. "Opened my mouth and pissed off her holiness back there."

"Ah, of course," Luke nodded, glancing out the viewport at the swirling hyperspace clouds.

"Yeah," Han sighed. "Whatever. I think I may have really blown it."

"I doubt that. You probably just struck a nerve."

"That's the thing," he sighed. "I know I did. But... Something happened to her on the Death Star, Kid."

"What do you mean?" Luke asked, all playfulness gone from his tone.

"I don't know," Han shook his head. "Somethin' bad."

"Kest," Luke mumbled. "How long til we get to Yavin?"

"Just over an hour."

"Maybe she'll tell Mom?" Luke mused before sighing defeatedly. "I doubt it though. Leia's always held onto things and not told anyone."

"Tell me about it," Han snorted before letting out a sigh and his serious tone resuming. "Look, you go make sure she gets some rest or somethin', alright? We got two hours and you know she won't sleep until everything is sorted out."

"Yeah," Luke nodded. He stood up and headed out of the cockpit, shivering slightly as he hit the cooler cabin air. Mara was sitting on the acceleration couch, tinkering with her lightsaber while Chewie was sitting on a few crates in the corner with what looked like a dismantled sensor display.

"She's sleeping," Mara said without looking up and Luke grinned at how well she knew him.

"Good," he nodded. "She really needs it."

"You do too," Mara said and flashed him a grin. "You haven't slept since Tatooine."

He waved a hand dismissively towards her and walked by, heading for the crew quarters. He paused at the door, sensing Leia on the other side. Her shields were up tight even in rest, which was fine except she normally let him in. But his sister was locking everyone out now.

"Maybe Han's right," he said under his breath and shook his head. He started to turn away when a wave of distress hit him, almost causing him to stagger back. Muffled 'no's sounded through the door and within a split second he had the door open and was by his sister's side.

She lay squirming on the bed, her arms lashing out trying to push and invisible force away from her.

"Leia!" Luke called, trying to catch her arms. The breath left his chest as a stray limb caught him square in the diaphragm. "Leia, wake up!"

Her eyes snapped open, every nerve in her body freezing as she became aware of her surroundings.

"It's okay, it's alright," Luke whispered, trying to calm her down fully. "It's just me, just Luke. You're all right, Leia."

With a sigh, Leia relaxed into the bed and Luke released her.

"Luke," she mumbled out.

"It's alright, Leia," he repeated. "What happened to you on that space station?"

She froze again before sitting up and hopping off the bunk. "Nothing," she said coolly. "I'm fine. Just a regular nightmare."

"You and I both know you rarely get nightmares, sis," Luke called her bluff.

"Just leave it, Luke," she said, pushing past him and out into the hallway. He was hot on her heels until she reached Han's quarters. She hit the door release and slipped through to the fresher, shutting the door on her brother's face. She felt his presence on the out side of the door for a moment longer before he left. She sighed and let her head fall down with her body to the floor.

She started to lean against the wall but hissed as the fiery pain shot down her spine again, touching every injection site along her vertebrae. A hot tear fell down her cheek as the pain dissapated again. She'd have to go to the Healer Ward once she got to Yavin. Part of her wished if she could bribe the Healer there to not tell her parents, but most Jedi still abided by the old code and viewed menial things like credits as attachments. Not to mention her father's position in the order as a Master...

A soft knock came at the door and Leia roughly brushed at the tears on her face, glancing once in the mirror to check her appearance before hitting the lock and release.

Han stood on the other side of the door, an eyebrow raised and his body casually leaning against the door frame.

"I almost didn't think you'd open up," he said lightly with a grin.

"Why?" she asked and he shrugged.

"Seemed like you wanted to be alone, and the fresher is one of the best places to be since no one just barges in there," he grinned.

"If you thought I wanted to be alone, Captain," she said, "why did you knock?"

"'Cause not everyone who wants to be alone, should be," he said, seriousness for once in his tone. "Listen, Leia, I'm not gonna pretend I know what happened but standard wartime logic says that when you capture a person of standing with the enemy, you interrogate them. And I know you wouldn't give answers easily, so my guess is they probably tortured you to one degree or another."

The blood in her veins seemed to freeze as she locked eyes with Han. There wasn't an ounce of accusation or teasing in his gaze on her, and she suddenly felt like she could spill every locked up secret within her.

"You don't know anything," she tried to bite out but the threat fell limply into the air between them.

"You could let me in," he shrugged, as if it were a simple request for a cup of cloudberries.

Leia opened her mouth to protest once more but found all fight in her gone. She didn't need to fight. Not here, not now. Not when she'd been exposed to everything she had in the last few days.

"Leia," Han's voice brought her attention back to him. It was that moment Han really realized just how vulnerable the woman in front of him was. She was so small and broken looking in front of him that the blood in his veins heated up with the undying urge to comfort her. "I'm not going to run from you."

Instead of answering, Leia simply crossed the two steps between them and hugged him tightly. His body stilled for a moment before he wrapped his arms around her. His hand brushed unknowingly against her spine and the cry left her lips before she could speak.

"Sorry!" he cried out, pulling away from the embrace. She bit back the tears of pain and tried to turn away before he caught her arm and pulled her back. "Hey, wait."

She stopped and glanced back towards him. Han carefully and slowly pulled at her collar, loosening the fastener that kept it tight to her neck.

"What are you-" she started before he hushed her. She fell silent as he pulled the dress back just enough to reveal the first angry welt of an injection site at the top of her back.

"Kriff," he cursed, torn between wanting to pull back the rest of her dress to see the extent of the damage and leaving it and never daring to think of it again. "These need bacta."

"No," she protested and began struggling against him.

"Leia, calm down," he said, grabbing her arm again. "Now, if we do this here, maybe you can avoid the healers in the temple when we get there."

Her struggles died immediately and she stilled.

"There, that's better," he added with a smile before fixing her dress and heading out into the hallway. She followed timidly and was relieved to see that no one had been loitering in the hallways. All sounds clearly came from the lounge area and far away from the med bay. The door lied at the opposite side of the gunners, pressed against the engine room. Han hit the release for the door casually and gestured for her to enter before him. She nodded meekly and passed him, taking a seat on the bed and pulling her legs up to sit cross-legged. Han followed and began opening and closing drawers, their contents messily rolling around.

"Here, Bacta, Bacta, Bacta," he sang lightly to himself before letting out a happy 'aha!' when it was found. The gelled bluish liquid moved slowly as he shook it to mix the separating contents back together. "Why don't you unpin the back of your dress this time and get situated."

His comment struck her as odd until it dawned on her that the injection sites fell all the way down to her tailbone. With a blush, she turned towards the back corner of the bunk and began working the clasps. The dress fell back and she clutched it against her chest. Han let out a small cough as he caught sight of her pale, slim form before kneeling on the floor behind her and using a cotton swab to apply the home-issue gel.

She let out a small hiss as the cold gel hit her inflamed back, clenching her teeth at the unwanted feel of the Bacta entering her cells.

"Kest, Leia," Han mumbled under his breath. She winced internally as she thought about the number of pin-prick dots that lined her back. Were there twenty? She couldn't quite remember anymore the number, just the pain that came with them. "How did you hold up against this?"

"Force, I suppose," she mumbled, not quite able to bring herself to raise her voice for the subject. "Maybe I thought of you guys, that maybe you'd save me."

"Not a moment after I woke up from Fett's stun blast was I looking for you," he stated and Leia tilted her head to try and see over her shoulder.

"Really?"

"Of course, Your Worship," he teased lightly. The use of his nickname brought a smile to her lips.

"You probably figured with me gone, the only person left to tease would be Chewie," she said with a light tone. He winked and nodded his head at her.

"You know me so well," he laughed and she chuckled along with him. "Really though, Leia, we had a search going the moment you left Tatooine. We wouldn't have left you."

"I know," she said distantly. "Thank you. For saving me. You risked a lot to try and get me."

"Your brother and Red helped too, you know," he smirked and she shook her head at his usual self.

"You know what I mean," she said with a more serious tone.

He paused and looked at her before nodding once. "Anytime."

An alarm sounded somewhere off in the ship and Han glanced out of the small med bay. "That's the Hyperspace alarm. We'll be dropping at Yavin soon."

"Am I done?" she asked.

"What? Oh, yeah," he said, jarred back into the situation. "Sure, go ahead and get dressed."

She smiled weakly as he turned and left the room. Her injection sites felt immensely better with the pain reliever in the Bacta working on them. They were still tender but at least they weren't hurting anymore. She clasped her dress back up, adjusting it to fall smoothly over her frame before leaving the med bay. Sure enough, not two steps down the hall did the whole ship shake with the drop into real space. Almost immediately she could feel the Force just rolling off the planet below them with all the combined power of the Jedi.

She sighed with the relaxed feeling of the Force before pushing up towards the cockpit. With any luck, things would go smoothly and no body followed them. As she entered the cockpit, they had just begun their reentry into the atmosphere. Turbulence shook the ship and she quickly sat down in one of the back seats while Han and Chewie brought the ship down towards the old Massassai temples that were home to the Jedi.

"You okay?" Luke's voice asked her. She glanced over with a smile and nodded. He pressed his lips together as if to call her bluff but instead nodded and mumbled, "good".

She turned her eyes back out the viewport and watched as Han landed the ship carefully in front of the entrance to the temple. Luke immediately headed out towards the lounge area and the sound of the ramp lowering was soon heard afterwards. Her stomach twisted in knots as her Force sense tingled. Something was off, and she didn't know what.

* * *

><p><strong>Alright, that story I recommended is by Blank101, written a few years back, and part of a trilogy. First one is Into the Storm. Found it by going backwards through old MaraLuke stories that were completed, and the second and third one have them listed as the main characters. Basically Artoo doesn't fix the hyperdrive on the Falcon at the end of ESB in time, and everyone is captured. Luke strikes a deal to get Han from Vader, then another deal with Palpatine to release everyone else (but one, as Palpatine argues) and Luke stays. Palpatine tries to turn him... Oh and the Alliance thinks Luke was an Imperial Agent the entire time because of some planted evidence in his belongings following his presumed death at Hoth. **

**Great stories, I highly recommend it. I'm reading his current story, Empire's Son right now, which is just as good. **

**MARA THE REBEL**

**Alot of you have been asking about it, and so I'm making the formal announcement now, here. I'm actually rewriting it...yeah. I'm kinda embarassed about the writing quality and I personally feel I've improved alot since I first wrote that. So I'm rewriting it, adding and changing a few things here and there. Plot line will be fairly similar, but I'm working on taking most of the awkwardness out of it, if that makes sense. Don't know when it will air, seeing as how I'm also working on this series, but it's something I'm going to when I hit a writer's block. **

**That's it though, go read Into the Storm, as it is amazing. I can't describe how much I loved that series. I read it practically nonstop, in class and out. He has a website too, btw, and that includes promo posters for it that make me very jealous of his Photoshop skills. **


	9. Chapter 9

******So I haven't really been in the writing mood, let alone the editing mood, save the one one-shot I posted a few days ago. Dunno why that is, but hopefully it will pass soon. **

**Anyway, enjoy the update, and I'm going to work on keeping on top of things!**

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><p><strong>Chapter Nine<strong>

Padme scrubbed her face furiously with her hands, trying to work out the frustration that seemed to plague her body. They nearly 20 minutes out from Yavin, and by her best guess that meant her children were probably already there by sheer speed of Han's ship. But twenty minutes was twenty minutes that she couldn't judge for herself the safety of her children.

The cockpit door slid open with a muffled swish and a mug of steaming tea was placed in front of her face. She smiled up thankfully at her husband and accepted the drink, blowing lightly at the liquid before taking a sip.

"I could feel your tension at the other side of the ship," he commented with a smile. She gave a weak smile and shrugged. "She's okay, remember?"

"I know," Padme sighed, thinking back to the brief conversation with Leia before the _Falcon_ had made the jump to light speed. "Ani, what if they did something to her while she was captured?"

"She'll get passed it," he tried to assure her, but deep down he knew that the Empire had most likely been pushing her for answers the entire time she was held. "We need to just be there for her, Angel. If something bad happened, she'll just need to know we're here for her. If we push her, she'll hide it. She reminds me of a certain Chancellor in that aspect."

Padme grinned at the comment, thinking back to all those years ago, before the war that had nearly brought the Republic to its end.

"But, she's strong, just like that Chancellor too," Anakin went on, relaxing in the copilot's chair while keeping his eyes on his wife. "She'll get passed it."

"How do you always have the right thing to say?" Padme asked with a grin. He shrugged.

"I know you," he responded simply. "We'll be at the temple soon enough and you can hug her then and tell her how much you were worried about her."

"It'll still be too long. We should have gone straight to the temple," Padme sighed, setting her tea on the console between them and running a hand through her hair. She'd removed the pins from her hair towards the beginning of the trip and they no longer kept it up in a neat, concise bun.

"Coulda-Woulda-Shoulda," Anakin shrugged. "I'll remember that. It's really a shame we can't improve the Hyperdrive more on this thing. Just one more point and we risk fracturing the hull with every jump."

"Is this your subtle 'we need a new ship' talk?" she asked with a grin. He glanced up and flashed his own in her direction.

"Is that an okay?"

"You are impossible, Master Skywalker."

"It's an okay," he laughed. "I'm thinking Han's got something with the Corellian Ship thing. Maybe we could get a luxury freighter? Best of both worlds. We'll certainly have more room than this ship gives. It's already kinda crowded when we have the four of us on at once, let alone the droids as well."

"I don't know," she sighed, thinking of everything that had happened on this ship. "I kind of have a soft spot for it. We spent a lot of time on this while I was in hiding."

"We did a lot on this when we weren't hiding, too," he said, raising his eyebrows suggestively at her. She rolled her eyes and grabbed her mug again, this time pulling her legs up to her chest and curling into a comforting ball.

"You are impossible," she said before taking another sip. They fell into an easy silence, just content to watch the swirling hyperspace until the timer on the control panel counted down complete. As Anakin eased the ship out of Hyperspace, the calming sight of Yavin came into view, and it's fourth moon hover slightly behind the glowing orange red ball.

They navigated around the planet and Obi-Wan reentered the cockpit, taking a seat in one of the back navigation chairs and working to make contact with the Temple.

"_Unidentified Ship, you've entered a restricted flight path, please transmit identification and codes," _the flight control announced over the standard comm frequency.

"Temple, this is Master Obi-Wan Kenobi with Master Skywalker and Chancellor Skywalker, requesting landing permission. Transmitting codes now," he replied simply. A beat of silence passed before Control responded.

"_Permission Granted, you know the drill."_

Anakin smirked as he navigated the ship into the atmosphere and down towards the old Masssassai temples. They landed just a yards from the _Falcon_, and not a moment after they touched down, Padme was up and out of her seat, quickly heading towards the ramp. Anakin sped through the post-flight sequence and quickly jogged after his wife. He reached out into the force for her and realized she'd already headed straight into the hangar.

"Padme!" he called out as her slight form came into view. She spun and looked at him, her shoulders deflating slightly as the feeling of helplessness came over her.

"Do you know where they are?" she asked as her husband reached her.

"We'll find them, don't worry," he nodded.

"Mom, Dad!"

They both spun and saw Luke jogging towards them with a happy smile on his face. Padme rushed forward and hugged him tightly, relishing the feel of having her son in her arms again.

"Don't you ever do that to me again, Luke Skywalker! You hear me?" she said firmly, pushing him back and holding him at arms length. She looked him dead in the eye and Luke shrank back slightly against his mother's forceful gaze.

"I'm sorry, but we had to find Leia," he said with a weak voice.

"Ever again," Padme reiterated and pulled him back in her arms.

"Luke, where is your sister?" Anakin asked, standing behind Padme's shoulder and watching the exchange.

"She's in the control room with Han and Chewie," he responded, and then looked down nervously, once Padme stepped back.

"What's wrong?" Anakin asked and Luke bit his lip.

"Um, we may have had a tracker attached to the hull…"

"What?" Padme asked, panic re-lacing her tone.

"We didn't know! Well, Leia warned us, but you know how Han can get," he shrugged helplessly.

Anakin sighed and ran a hand nervously through his hair. "That was irresponsible of you guys, but we'll deal with this later. For now, let's get to the control room and figure out a plan."

Luke nodded and turned to lead them out of the hangar. They followed the halls, the passing Jedi stepping to the side and nodding to Anakin respectfully as he passed. They made it to the control room, and once again, as soon as Padme spotted her daughter she launched forward.

"Leia!" she cried out, and the young senator turned, her own expression becoming one of happiness.

"Mom!" Leia cried out and launched herself into her mother's arms. Padme hugged her tightly and Leia called on every pain reducing Force technique she knew to dim the pain of the hug against her spine down. The Bacta Han had rubbed on for her was still reducing most of the pain, but any pressure against the injection sites still sent fire through her nerves.

"Are you okay, are you alright?" Padme asked, holding her daughter at arms length and scanning her up and down.

"I'm fine," Leia assured her. "But Mom, you need to call the Republic Navy in. The Jedi don't have enough fire power to go up against that battle station."

Padme glanced to Anakin and he nodded weakly, having already thought through this on the way to the control room.

"I'll get Carlist on the comm and see if he can get here fast enough." Padme turned away and went over to Comm Control, immediately working to put in the call to Coruscant.

Anakin spotted Mace on the other side of the room, talking nervously with Kit Fisto and Ki Adi Mundi. He crossed over towards them quickly, and they paused conversation as he came up.

"What are we looking at here?" Anakin asked and Mace sighed.

"Coruscant is five and a half hours from Coruscant at best guess, and the engineers best guess for traveling speed of the Death Star is 7 hours. That hardly gives us much time to plan for an attack."

Anakin let out a long breath and nodded. "Padme's working on getting the Rogues to assist us. General Rieekan has already promised complete assistance from his men, regardless of going through the Senate channels."

"Your daughter assures me that the Chancellor can send immediate relief to planets under the Republic command in times of war or strife," Mace said with a smile. "Apparently we are covered."

"That's a relief," Anakin said lightly. "How many Jedi fighters do we have?"

"Almost a hundred, but that isn't nearly enough," Kit responded. "With the Republic Squadrons we near two hundred and fifty."

"How do we even defeat it though?" Ki Adi asked and the three glanced towards Anakin expectantly.

"I'll take a look at the plans," he assured. "For now, just start gather all those willing to fly."

Anakin turned and headed towards his wife. She was conversing quickly with Leia before Leia nodded once and turned off. His gaze caught hers and she sighed and walked forward towards him.

"Any luck?"

"Yes," She nodded. "Carlist said he can have everyone assembled and here within six hours. That gives just under an hour to be up and ready for the arrival of that Battle Station."

"Good, Kit told me that puts at almost two hundred and fifty ships," Anakin said. "Hopefully that gives us enough fire power."

"Anakin, we need to get the Younglings off planet for the time being," she said in a much lower tone. "The chance of us failing is too great and if we do, that means the end of the Jedi. The republic will surely fall if we don't have them."

Anakin swallowed heavily, a profound sense of Déjà vu coming over him. "I'll talk to the council, but I doubt they'll argue that logic. See if you can start arranging some transports for them. We'll have to stuff them to overflowing, but if we can get them off sooner rather than later it will be worth it."

Padme nodded, kissing her husband firmly once before turning to go speak to the deck hands in the hanger about arranging the transports.

Anakin turned as well, heading back to where Mace stood with Kit Fisto. Ki Adi had left, so now it was only the three of them.

"Mace, we need to get the Younglings off this moon," Anakin said as soon as he reached them. "Padme's looking at arranging transports but we need to have an immediate council meeting to officiate this."

Mace nodded once before reaching into his pocket for his comm unit. He flicked it on and waited a pace before the aging voice of Master Yoda sounded on the other end.

"Master Yoda, we need to call a Council Meeting," Mace said immediately. "We have to get the younglings off and safe."

"_Agree with you, I do," _ Yoda responded. _"But arranging this I already am. Seek me in the Hangar you will."_

The call ended as quickly as it started and Anakin shook his head, a genuine smile plaguing his face. Leave it to Yoda and his soft spot for the children to be a step ahead of them.

* * *

><p>As Padme entered the Hangar, she spotted immediately the six transports that lay there, ramps up and engines warming already.<p>

"Hurry Younglings! Time to waste we have not!" the aging voice sounded across the hangar. Several older Padawans appeared to be assisting the Younglings into the ships, keeping them calm through the ordeal.

"I see you've already got this covered, Master Yoda," Padme chuckled lightly as she approached the aging master.

"Ah, Chancellor, warms my heart to see you it does," Yoda greeted happily. "Expect me to forget those my size do you?" He laughed and Padme joined in. She always did enjoy being around the small Master.

"Do you have a place to send them yet?" she asked. Yoda glanced up at her with a smile.

"Hoped you would have one I did. Perhaps your home planet?"

"I'll contact the queen immediately," Padme nodded. "I'm sure the Palace would be a very secure place for them. And if not, Bail is around here somewhere; perhaps Alderaan could help."

"Thought so as well," Yoda laughed. He turned back to the younglings, watching as they carefully made their way into the transports. Part of Padme's heart sank as she realized that these kids weren't even eight yet. The older Padawans themselves hadn't even hit their fifteenth year as well. The only comforting part of it all was that they would not be here having to fight and worry of the immanent danger that loomed in the form of a large battle station.

"Worry not you should, Chancellor," Yoda said, never taking his eyes off the children. "Safe we will be, for our ally is the Force."

"And a powerful ally it is," she quoted, thinking to all those years ago as Anakin had quoted that mantra to Luke and Leia in their first few years.

"Trust in the Force you should," Yoda said, glancing up at her with a raised eyebrow. "Though feel it you cannot, surrounds you it does. Luminous beings we are, not this crude matter. Shines brightly within you it does, and trust it you should."

"Of course, Master Yoda," she nodded. "How could I not when it brought me my children?"

Yoda smiled and nodded. "Wise for a Force blind person you are, Chancellor."

"Thank you," she nodded. "I'm going to call the queen and alert her to our situation. I don't doubt she'll help us."

"Send her thanks I do."

"I'll pass them on," Padme nodded before turning to find a terminal.

* * *

><p>"You planning on going up?" Luke asked as he found Mara in one of the training rooms, stretching.<p>

"Yeah, you?"

Luke nodded. "The Rogues will be joining us. They are probably on their way now."

"Fantastic, that gives us the ships and fire power we need," Mara nodded. She stood up and walked over to one of the bars that lined the mirrored walls and hoisted her leg up with ease.

Luke watched with rapt attention as she bent with ease down over her leg, her hands grabbing her foot easily. She was so…. flexible. He shook his head to clear it, and tightened his mental shields. He'd never hear the end of it from Mara if she caught his train of thought through the Force.

Mara glanced back his way and Luke jumped mildly, pretending to be looking around the room and running a hand through his hair. Mara smirked. "See something you like, Farmboy?"

He glanced her way and shook his head roughly. "No, nah, I was just admiring the uh, architecture."

"I'll bet you were," she rolled her eyes, resuming her stretches. She dropped her leg off the bar and turned, placing her other leg up and duplicating the stretch. "You wanna spar? Get rid of some of this pent up energy?"

"What?" he asked, hearing only 'pent up energy'.

"Sparring? Look, Luke if you're not even completely here, let's not bother. I don't want to take off your arm or something."

"No, I'm alright. Let's spar. Sure," he nodded, swallowing heavily. She gave him an odd look but dropped her leg off the bar and called her lightsaber to her hand from it's resting spot in the corner of the room. He unhooked his own lightsaber from his belt and ignited it, holding it in front of him in a ready stance.

"Ready?" she asked but didn't wait for a response. She darted forward, her lightsaber meeting his between them with the crackling energy and the release of ozone into the air. With a flick of her wrist, she pushed his blade off and out of the way, taking a defensive and going for the more obvious attack before switching it at the last moment into a hand combat move, using her elbow to catch the handle of his weapon and push it towards his face. Luke tilted his hand back in time before breaking his nose with his own weapon and swung his blade down in a low arc towards her mid-section.

Mara bounced back, the tip of the blade narrowly missing her tunic before raising her violet blade up to strike his own azure one. They fought like that a few minutes, sticking to the more basic of fighting styles. Every strike was met and either blocked or parried off to the side. It continued this way until Mara let out and annoying grunt and flipped over Luke before going for a strike at his back. He spun in time and caught the attack, pushing against it and forcing Mara back and into a defensive form. She ducked an attack aimed for her neck and swiped a leg out, catching Luke's calves and causing him to fall backwards. She jumped towards him, landing neatly on his chest, legs braced on either side of him and her lightsaber tip pointed at his neck.

"I win, Skywalker," she hissed but her merely grinned.

"Nope," he shot back and swiped his blade up to hers, knocking it out of her hands and across the room. An elbow to the chin knocked her backwards and flat on her back. Before she could all her blade, Luke did, catching it in his left hand easily and crossing them before her neck in a move that if acted upon would decapitate her.

A leg swung up and hit the back of his head and Mara simultaneously knocked both blades out of his hands, calling on the force to send them to opposite sides of the room and far away from him. She fell easily into the hand to hand combat she was so fond of, but Luke had learned most of his combat _from_ her and was able to easily match them. They jumped back to their feet, engaged in the rapid fighting that barely winded their trained bodies. Mara ducked several moves made for her head and chest but got caught on a surprise kick to her thigh that knocked her weight balance off. She caught her self and bounced back wards off her hand and back on her feet a few feet away from Luke, eying him with a grin.

"You've practiced," she grinned.

"Had to if I plan to keep sparring with you," he shrugged, never dropping his guard.

The Force gave her a warning and she ducked in time to avoid a spare weight flying off the wall, aimed for her. It landed with a clatter against the floor near Luke.

"You fight dirty, Skywalker," she hissed, stepping forward.

"You like it that way though, Jade," he shot back. Before she could even contemplate the double meaning to his words he'd struck again. A kick aimed for her chest. She used her own leg to catch the hit and push it to the side, stepping into the opening made and sending a body chuck to Luke's chest. He coughed and fell flat on his back. She set a foot against his collar bone, effectively keeping him seated there.

"You wanna call it or should I?" she asked.

"You win again," he sighed. Just as she started to take her foot off his chest, a Force push to her middle sent her falling forward, and she landed on Luke. He quickly rolled over and pinned her arms above her head, his chins locking hers together and immobile. "Then again, it looks like I may have won."

She sighed, her chest rising into his. It was at that moment she realized their close proximity and the way Luke's body effectively lay pressed down completely against her.

What startled her more was how the feeling wasn't unwelcome.

So she did the first thing that felt natural to her, and bit out a sarcastic comment.

"You gonna buy property here or move on?" she asked, and Luke raised an eyebrow before getting up. He held out a hand and she took it, letting him pull her to her feet.

"I kinda like the idea of owning property but something tells me there's an angry land lord there," he said with a cocky grin before calling his lightsaber to his hand while simultaneously walking backwards towards the door. "Good match, Mara."

He was gone before she could respond, and left her staring shocked at the spot he'd last been.

Had… Had Luke been _flirting_ with her?

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah, I like the ending too. 'Nuff said.<strong>

**So I'm nearly half way through Visions of the Future, having finally gotten around to finishing Spector two weeks ago. I've gone like four or five chapters now without Luke and Mara, and it's kinda driving me mad. I honestly could care less about Shada. She's a next to useless character with the exception of being good in a fight. Bleh. I am reading this for L/M! No one else! **

**Haha, anyways. Between that and American Horror Story, all my time is being eaten away. I just need to sit and either write the next one (which is still title-less, much to my annoyance) or MtR's rewrite. **

**Signing off before this gets out of hand. Next chapter has more H/L, less L/M, and next to no P/A. **

**Review, cause I love hearing you guys yell at me for not updating. ;)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Here we go! Ten down, three to go! Yes, That's right! Three more until the next installment, which is hardly even written. But I seem to accomplish alot of writing at my mom's since I don't have my editing program to make videos with here. Go figure. **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Ten<strong>

**Three Hours Until Rogues Arrive**

Leia sighed as she stood in front of the wall length mirror in the quarters she normally resided in when staying at the Temple. Her dress was draped over her belt and her back was turned so that she could see it in the mirror. Angry red dots lined her spine and on some, purplish bruises were beginning to form. She'd have to deal with them for at least a week, if not two. She reached around her side and touched one lightly, hissing sharply at the fiery pain that licked up her spine.

She winced as she twisted back around, the skin around the wounds stretching painfully along them. A knock sounded at her door and she jumped, hastily yanking at her dress to pull it back over her exposed chest.

"Uh, just a minute!" she called through the door. She rehooked the clasps and hit the release for the door, her face turning quizzical as she saw Han standing there.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Brought you some more Bacta since you refuse to go to the med bay," he said, holding up a translucent bag with Bacta and Syntheskin patches, as well as a jar of what looked like a standard pain reliever.

"Oh, thank you," she said in a relieved tone.

"Can I come in?" he asked and she stared at him for a moment. Han almost thought she wasn't going to let him in when she stepped to the side. He walked through the door, noting the sparse belongings in the room; just a bed, night stand, wardrobe and mirror. A single holo of her family sat glowing lightly by her bed. "I figured the pain killer in the Bacta had just about worn off by now, and you should probably get those fixed up again about now anyway."

"You haven't…" she swallowed heavily. "You haven't told anyone, have you?"

"Not a soul," he responded, looking her in the eye. "Why are you so ashamed of them?"

"I'm not," she protested but sighed as he gave her a knowing look. "Fine, I just, don't want to look weak. I don't want to be the tortured girl. Okay?"

"Fair enough," he shrugged. "Sit down and let me refresh the Bacta."

She did as he said, sitting down with her back towards the mirror so as not to have her bare chest reflected in it. She needn't give the Captain any more charges to work with. He unclasped her dress before she could, sliding it gently down her arms. If her back weren't in such fiery agony, she would have thought he'd be making a move on her.

"They certainly look better," he noted, examining the tiny injection sites down her spine. "Less red."

"Really?" she asked. They had looked fairly angry when she'd looked at them nearly a minute ago. If they were less than before, she didn't want to think about what Han had seen while they were in Hyperspace.

"Yeah," he replied, already laying the icy Bacta on. She hissed at the cold and the feeling of the medicine invading her cells. "Sorry," he mumbled but she just shook her head. "So you don't plan to tell anyone?"

"No," she said immediately. "Not my family, not Luke, no one. If I could've avoided it, you wouldn't have even known either."

"I'm not the enemy, Leia," he said, using her real name to show how much he meant it. "Neither is your family. They wouldn't let it get out."

"They don't suspect anything as bad as this, so they won't know, okay?" she answered, anger leeching into her tone. Why didn't he understand?

"Fine," he said. He smoothed out the Bacta over a particularly nasty looking wound, and almost flinched as she let out a controlled whimper. "How many times did they inject you here?"

"Six," she responded and he had trouble keeping his anger at bay. How could they do something like this to someone, especially a woman? If only he could get his hands on the horrible bastards that had done this to her…

"It's not your fault," she said, and he paused for a moment, looking at the back of her head. "I can feel your emotions through the Force. You're kinda broadcasting them."

"I know it's not my fault," he said. "But the monsters that did this to you… They had to be pretty sick to justify this."

"They view us as an enemy, Han," she said. "To them, this is the official beginning of a war that started during the clone wars."

"Who is this Empire?"

"What's left over from the Separatists as far as I can guess," she replied. "I don't think they are the Separatists though. They want completely different things. They mentioned Wilhuff Tarkin once though, and he went into hiding after the end of the Clone Wars. No one really knew what happened to him. I guess he's been running this show."

"Kest," Han mumbled, resuming his application of the Bacta. "And now they plan to come here and eliminate the Jedi because I was too arrogant to listen to you and make a dummy jump and check for trackers."

"It's not your fault," she repeated.

"Yes it is," he said. "This whole kriffing thing is my fault. You got taken because I went to Tatooine and took you into Mos Eisely, one of the most Bounty Hunter filled cities in the Galaxy after Nar Shadda. It started this chain of events that led to endangering a whole sect of people who I happen to think are pretty decent. You… You got tortured because I couldn't protect you."

His voice sounded so defeated at the end that Leia's heart felt like it would break. She turned around, holding her dress to her chest and looked into Han's eyes. They were glassy, a moment of weakness in them few ever saw.

"Don't blame yourself," she said firmly, her own voice cracking.

"Leia," he started but she cut him off, leaning in and capturing his lips with her own. He responded immediately, kissing her back with pent up fervor. The feeling of his lips against hers sent an electric feeling down to her toes, igniting her in a way she never knew possible. She pulled back, resting her head against his, their faces still close together, panting for air.

"Han," she murmured but he kissed her again, her free hand winding its way up into his hair. He let out a grunt, pulling at her hips to draw her closer to him.

He pulled back and looked her in the eyes, a smile on his face that reached his eyes. "You have no idea how long I have wanted to do that."

She let out a small laugh and shook her head, happiness filling her up inside.

"Let's finish putting that Bacta on, alright?" he asked and she nodded, spinning back around in the bed. He resumed the placement of the Bacta on the lower wounds, careful to put an even layer on. He finished, putting the lid back on the small jar. "All done."

"Thank you," she smiled at him. "When did you plan to put the syntheskin on?"

"Probably in a day or so," he said. "These are still too fresh for that. They need air that the syntheskin won't give them."

"Oh," she said, pulling her dress up her shoulders. Han grabbed it, pulling it carefully over her wounds and reclasping it. "Thanks."

"Anytime, Princess," he said, flashing her a grin.

"I told you, I'm not a Princess," she shook her head, turning around to face him fully.

"Yes you are," he nodded, "to me."

She started to protest when he kissed her again. She froze for a moment before reacting and kissing him back.

"What are we doing?" she asked when they pulled apart.

"Right now I'm kissing you," he said, leaning back into the kiss.

"No, Han," she pushed him back, tilting her face away. He gave her a quizzical look.

"No, I mean, I don't want to be in this if this is just some fling, alright?"

"Oh, just because I've got a shady past, I'm ultimately just using any girl nearby?" he asked, his anger rushing up to the surface.

"No, just, ugh!" she grunted out. "That wasn't what I meant at all you big Bantha! I just meant that I don't want this to be a fling! I just want a real relationship."

"So do I!" he responded, his voice getting louder. "Listen, Leia, I'm not out to use you, alright? I thought that much was obvious as I was helping you out with the Bacta."

"It was!" she yelled back but sighed, calling on the Force to help deflate her anger. "It is," she said more quietly. "I just wanted to know where we stand, alright? Is it so much trouble for me to know what we are doing?"

"No," he sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. I just thought—"

"No, it's alright. Look, let's just forget it, and we'll just move on from here," she suggested. "I want this, I really do."

"So do I," he nodded, leaning down and kissing her again. She responded to the kiss, losing herself again in it. She pulled back when she needed air and let out a small laugh. "What?"

"We're never going to get anything accomplished at this rate," she said and he smirked.

"I'm alright with that," he said, his voice dipping lower as he leaned back in. She reached up, tangling her hands in his hair and pushing against his chest. She moaned lightly into the kiss, feeling all the tension in her body relax. Han's hands trailed lazily against her hips, making small designs before they fell to the small of her back.

"Ow!" Leia yelped, jumping back away from him.

"Oh, kest, Leia, I'm sorry!" he said, immediately realizing he'd brushed against her spine.

"No, no," she assured him, waving a hand between them. "It's okay, really. I forgot too."

"Kriff," he mumbled, running a hand through his hair. "I feel like a schmuck."

"Han, it's okay, really," she said, laying a hand on his arm.

"No, it's not," he shook his head. "It would be okay if you didn't have those damn wounds on your back in the first place. But you do have them and that certainly makes things not okay."

"You're still beating yourself up over this?" she asked and he let out a scoff and shook his head, looking away.

"Han Solo, answer me," she demanded, putting her hands on her hips and stepping up towards him.

"Yes, okay? I am," he said. "As much as you don't want to tell people about them, I'm blaming myself. Alright?"

"Gods, we are so stubborn," she sighed, looking up towards the ceiling. "Aren't we a pair?"

He let out a chuckle and looked back towards her with a crooked grin. "So we're a pair, are we?"

She rolled her eyes and shoved his arm playfully. "Watch it, Flyboy."

* * *

><p>Padme entered the control room and immediately spotted her husband at a computer terminal, hunched over with his hand on his chin studying something.<p>

"How's it going?" she asked, sitting next to him and running a hand soothingly against his back.

"Fine," he replied, glancing up at her. "Certainly better now that you're here."

She smiled and leaned in, kissing him chastely against the lips before nodding back to the work. "Those the death star plans?"

"Yes," he nodded. "I don't quite know where the biggest weakness is. There are certainly a handful of them within the actual engine and hyperdrive connections. The guys that looked over these first were right about the hyperdrive speeds though and we're still looking at the same arrival time. But I can't find a weakness on the outside yet. I know there is one!"

"You'll find it," she assured him. She leaned her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes against the familiar comfort. "I know you will."

He sighed, and turned his head to kiss the top of hers. "How is the Youngling evacuation going?"

"They're all gone," she said happily. "Every youngling in the crèche is gone, every child without a master is gone, and every Padawan under fifteen is gone. All the others are here and ready in case of a ground attack."

"I don't think there will be one with that Battle Station," Anakin sighed. She nodded against his shoulder.

"I can't think about Luke being up there with you," she said after a quiet moment. "I don't want to risk losing you two."

"And I wouldn't risk losing any of you if we didn't need fighters and people to lead the assault from down here," he replied. "I love you and Luke and Leia too much…"

Padme nodded again, her eyes still closed. She didn't want to have to go through losing Luke and Leia again, even if the first time she didn't even know they were her own. It was still hard for her to think about them time-traveling. The Force was such an odd thing to someone on the outside of it, and the future they had described in the letter….

"Anakin!" Padme cried out, her eyes snapping open as she sat up abruptly.

"What, is everything all right?" he asked, startled by her sudden movement.

"The letter! They talked about the Death Star in the letter!" she cried out.

Anakin's eyes lit up as he recalled the letter, immediately flipping through the pages of plans in the computer.

_If they follow the original schematics, an exhaust port is just wide enough for a proton torpedo to make the shot._

He stopped on the plans for the engine exhaust following the small tube up and out of the battle station. It was a straight line all the way to the trench that lined the equator of the station. It was only a meter wide, but as promised in the letter, a torpedo should be able to make it.

"Padme, you are a genius!" Anakin cried out happily, grabbing his wife's hand in his own and squeezing it lightly. "Here it is! The weakness. We won't even have to penetrate the station to get this. A simple Proton shot should cover it, just like they said! Oh, this is fantastic!"

He wrapped his arms around her tightly, relishing in the comfort the simple action brought before pulling back. "I have to tell Master Yoda and Mace!"

"Go!" she encouraged and he leapt up, jogging up and out of the room happily. She shook her head at his child-like antics but remembered that it was that enthusiasm that made her love him so much.

* * *

><p><em>He could feel it. The adrenaline rushed through his veins so quickly, pumping him up for the firing of that Torpedo into the exhaust port. He had to make it. The entire Rebellion relied on him. Leia was down there, and he had to make sure she lived. Something told him she'd be an important factor in his life and he want to make sure they lived to find out what that was.<em>

_The scanner on his dashboard read the incoming TIE's behind him. They'd taken almost everyone else out, now they were after him._

'_Calm down, Luke, you can do this!' he thought to himself. He gritted his teeth and pushed the fighter forward down the trench. He'd flown trenches like these a million times back home, he could do it now. The lack of friction against the ship was new, and he didn't have to worry about the warm down gusts that made smears of so many unfortunate pilots before him against the canyon walls. It was the same, but different._

_Almost there, he reminded himself, focusing on that fleeting feeling Ben had tried to teach him before Vader had so ruthlessly cut him down. One day he'd face Vader and do the same, but until then… No. Jedi don't seek revenge. He just needed to focus on helping the Rebellion take out this station before it fired off that shot._

_Green plasma shot past him and against the wall and he glanced back in time to see one of the ships careen into the trench wall. What?_

_A whooping 'yahoo!' sounded over the comm system, and he smiled lightly as he recognized that voice. Han had decided to return after all._

_He pushed forward, glancing out the corner of his eye as one of those Imperial fighters spun off into space uncontrollably._

'_You're all clear, Kid!' Han's voice sounded over the comm. 'Now let's blow this thing and go home!'_

_Luke shook his head and grinned, the Force crackling around him in anticipation. The crackling hit its peak and Luke fired, the torpedo shots racing out in front of him and getting pulled in by the gravity of the hole beneath it. The warning sense he'd always written off as gut feeling tingled and he pulled out of the trench, quickly flying away from the station. He glanced over his shoulder to see the sparking ball of fire expand behind him, the trapped oxygen and power igniting in the space behind him. They did it! They'd destroyed the—_

"Farmboy! Get up!"

Mara's sharp voice shook him out of his dream and he shot up in bed, glancing around for danger.

"Only you could sleep at a time like this," she rolled her eyes.

"What time is it? Is the Empire here?" he asked and she chuckled, tossing his discarded shirt to him from its spot draped over a chair.

"No, we have two and a half hours before the Rogues even arrive yet, relax," she said. "But your Dad just discovered the weakness in the battle station. Get this, it's an—"

"Exhaust port," he said and she stopped short, giving him an odd look.

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Dream," he shrugged, though it hadn't felt like a vision or even a warning. "Never mind. Where is he?"

"Control room," she said. "As soon as the rogues arrive, there's going to be a debriefing. You might want to be in a flight suit and ready."

"Yeah, whatever," he waved dismissively. "Let's go."

She nodded once and they left his room, headed for the control room.

* * *

><p><strong>Alrighty, super happy right now, and eager to write, mostly because I finally named the next story. I've had trouble with that since October when I began planning it out. So I'm off to write as soon as this is posted. <strong>

**Quick movie for you to watch: Working Girl. Circa 1988, and one of Harrison Ford's best. Also has the lovely Sigourney Weaver in it, and how can you deny her? She is one of my favorite actresses, really. Anyways, I watched it and really liked it. It is incidentally the only movie besides Indiana Jones 3 to explain Harrison's scar. It is Watch Instantly on Netflix right now, and that's where I watched it. **

**Anyways, next chapter brings in the lovely Rogues, the first line being Wes Janson's. How I do love his character. If you get the chance, I posted a one shot two weeks ago entitled "The Origin of the Bet" starring him. Just a little self promotion. Otherwise, have a lovely week! REVIEW!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

"Do you know where we are, my friends?" Wes Jansen asked as they walked down the brightly lit halls of the Jedi Temple towards where the debriefing room was.

"The Jedi Temple," Hobbie responded, wondering where his exuberant friend was going with this.

"That's right, _The_ Jedi Temple! No one but Jedi ever see this place!" he cried out, hardly containing the joy inside of him.

"Well, technically the Chancellor has seen this place," Wedge pointed out with a grin. "So has the Senator of Naboo."

"Yes, but they are either offspring or married to a Jedi!" Wes sighed. "They don't count. No, boys, we are the first outsiders this Temple has seen."

"I think you are taking this too far, Man," Hobbie sighed. "It's just a temple."

"A secret Temple!"

"Not anymore, technically," Wedge rolled his eyes. "What about you, Celchu? You as excited as Janson here about this place?"

"You have no idea, sir," Tycho laughed, shaking his head in awe at the place. "I hate to say it but I'm with Wes on this one."

"Shame," Wedge sighed. "I thought me and Hobbie had one more sane one in this group."

"What time is it?" Hobbie asked and Wedge glanced at his chrono.

"14:35 Coruscanti time," he said. "No idea what time it is here though. I'm thinking we're almost late to that meeting. Hey, where did they say it was again?"

"The debriefing room," Wes shrugged. "Dunno where that is."

They rounded a corner, hoping to either stumble across it or run into someone to tell them where they were. The halls were lined evenly with doors, leading Wedge to suspect they'd come across the quartering section. Not where they wanted to be at all. One of the doors slid open and a brown haired man stepped out, adjusting his flightsuit uncomfortably. He glanced their way and his face lit up with recognition.

"Hey, haven't seen you boys in forever!" Corran Horn greeted. "You guys lost?"

"Completely," Wedge laughed. "How 'ya doin' Corran?"

"Great until I found out I might get blown up today, you?" he asked with a smile and Wedge chuckled.

"Same," he shrugged. "Where's this meeting taking place anyway?"

"This way," Corran said, waving them down the hall. "So when did you all get here anyway?"

"About ten minutes ago," Wedge supplied. "Obviously it didn't take us long to get lost."

"Hey, no worries," Corran waved dismissively. "It's a big place and we don't exactly have many maps posted around."

"Yeah, no kidding," Wes mumbled under his breath. They followed the hallways for a few more twists and turns before they entered a large debriefing room, a central projector screen set up with two-dimensional schematics for the run on the battle station.

Luke stood near one of the back walls joking with Han when he caught sight of the men entering the room at that moment. A smile broke out on his face and he excused himself from the conversation best he could before jogging over to them.

"Hey! You guys are here! I figured you'd gotten lost amongst space debris or something it took you so long!" he joked. Wedge shook his head, stretching his arms out and hugging Luke briefly.

"And miss the big show? Nah," Wedge laughed. "How ya' doin' Luke?"

"Not so bad, you?"

"Been better," he shrugged.

"Better if we hadn't gotten lost," Wes laughed and Hobbie shook his head.

"When's this thing start, anyway?" Wedge asked, glancing around the room at all the different squadrons. They fit easily into the large hall, each with their helmets tucked somewhere under their arms, squadron logos brightly emblazoned on the side.

"As soon as my father gets here," Luke answered, glancing around himself. "Should be any moment now. There's my mother now."

"Kest, Luke," Wes let out a low whistle. "She's prettier than on the Holo."

"That's my mother, Janson," Luke shot back darkly, narrowing his eyes at the pilot.

"And a fine mother she is," Wes laughed. "C'mon, you know I don't date married women."

"It's a wonder anyone dates you, Janson," a female voice said, coming from the back of the group.

They turned and Wes grinned. "Aw, that's harsh, Jade. You know you're pining away for me."

Mara laughed and shook her head. "Find your seats, boys, meeting's starting in five."

"That's not a no," Wes smirked as Mara walked away, taking a seat next to Leia and Han near the front of the meeting. Luke watched her go, still smirking from her comment towards Wes. Wedge nudged him playfully, giving a knowing look to him. Luke stared at the pilot, eyes narrowed at the unspoken insinuation. He shook his head and took a seat in the back row, quickly followed by the rest of the group. Not more than a moment later did Luke's father enter the room, taking his place at the front of the meeting.

A hush fell over the crowd as everyone waited expectantly for the meeting to begin. Anakin ran a nervous hand through his hair, glancing around and seeing all the faces relying on him.

"Alright, I'm going to assume everyone is here and get this started since time is short," Anakin said. He nodded towards one of the techs to begin the display of the plans to the battle station. "This battle station is unlike anything you've fought against before, so no one should be expecting anything. Blaster Turrets line the surface with the intention to eliminate any threats. The entire station is surrounded with an energy shield, but according to the plans, one-manned fighters should be able to penetrate it with ease. The goal of this run is to locate and enter the trench that makes up the equator of the station, and follow it down to a small, meter wide exhaust port. There, a proton torpedo will be fired and sucked into the shaft, beginning a chain reaction in the core that will eliminate the station."

"Only a meter wide?" Wedge questioned under his breath. "Is that even possible?"

"Yeah, sure," Luke shrugged next to him. "I bulls-eye womp rats on Tatooine whenever I'm there. They're just under a meter wide. No problem."

"I wish I had your enthusiasm, Luke," Wedge shook his head.

"General Rieekan has informed me of your Y-Wings," Anakin continued. "They will make the run in the trench, flanked by two X-Wings and a Jedi Fighter. Stay in comm contact, and don't try any heroics. The goal is to eliminate this station with as few casualties as possible.

"I'll be up in the air with you, as well as the most talented pilots in the Order. The battle will be monitored and run by Chancellor Amidala-Skywalker and Masters Windu and Yoda. They will represent both sides to this joint effort. Keep chatter to a minimum on the comm, and stay sharp. May the Force be with you."

The pilots nodded and began to rise, most heading for the hangar bay to ready their ship. Luke frowned as he suddenly realized he didn't know whether or not he was flying with the Jedi or the Rogues. In all technicality, he was flying with both, the only difference a ship. Part of him longed to be apart of the Rogues full time, to fly the skies with them as a member, not a guest.

"Luke?" a voice called, shaking him out of his thoughts. He glanced over at Wedge, the man staring at him with a raised eyebrow. "You all right?"

"Yeah, fine," he mumbled out, shaking his head.

"You better get started modifying that X-Wing of yours if you want it ready for the fight," Wedge grinned. Luke's eyes widened for a moment before a broad smile took over his features. He hopped out of his seat and Wedge chuckled at his enthusiasm. They followed the rest of the pilots into the Hangar, everyone electrified with anticipation of the fight.

Slowly, the pilots peeled off down the rows of unloaded ships, sitting and waiting patiently for their pilots to need them. Luke followed Wedge's lead, not quite sure which ship would be his, or if it would stay his by the end of the battle. Hobbie and Wes came into sight as the turned down a row, the two perched upon their ships, tinkering with the engines and their R2 units.

"There's your ship," Wedge announced and Luke couldn't help but smile at the silvery-gray beauty that sat waiting before him. The X-Wing had always been a ship he'd admired. It handled as well as the sleek Jedi-fighters, but had the space and sheer power of the old Clone ship predecessors. These had the hyperdrive capabilities neither of the others had, setting it above the rest in sheer ability.

Something hit the back of Luke's legs and he glanced down to spot Artoo, dome swinging around happily at the prospect of flight.

"You flying with me, Artoo?" he asked lightly and the droid whistled an affirmative. "I hope you let Dad down easy."

Artoo let out a raspberry before swinging around and heading off back towards the command room. Luke chuckled at the droid's antics, shaking his head lightly before looking back up to admire his ship. He grasped a rung on the ladder that lay to the side and began climbing, eager to examine the ship first hand. He crawled over the cockpit hood, careful not to put too much stress on the plasteel glass. The glass itself should hold up to any stress except sudden impact, designed to withstand the vacuum of space, but it was better to be safe than sorry in any situation.

The engine was in prime condition, that Luke was sure of. There was evidence of lack of flight, keeping this ship in near factory conditions. He set to work, hoping to improve the targeting system as much as he could without Artoo's help. He'd need better accuracy and shields in this fight, and the best way to achieve that was to override the computer and reset the power distribution.

He fell into the easy rhythm of working on a ship and quickly became absorbed into work. He lost track of time and was nearly finished the distribution process when his name rang out sharply through the hangar. He glanced up with a mild jump, looking around for the source of the voice, his eyes landing on his father walking quickly towards him. And he did not look happy.

"Luke! You're taking Artoo?" Anakin asked sharply, stalking right up to the ladder and quickly climbing it to be eye level with his son.

"I'm not taking him, he's taking me!" Luke defended, holding his hands up, palms out.

"That's not what he said," Anakin countered, crossing his arms in annoyance.

"And when has Artoo ever told the whole truth?" Luke asked, rolling his eyes and turning back to the engine.

Anakin grit his teeth and glanced down, the droid in question rolling happily towards the ship, whistling out a small tune. He froze as it spotted Anakin, spinning his dome and then his body around and rolling away. "Artoo! Get back here!"

The droid froze before slowly spinning around and rolling back towards the ship. Anakin grunted once before pushing away from the ship and climbing down the ladder. He walked over to Artoo before crouching down and looking into his optical lens.

"Artoo, did you not tell me that it was you that wanted to fly with Luke, not the other way around?" Anakin asked slowly, eyes narrowing. Artoo, waited a beat before whistling once lowly. Anakin smiled darkly and continued. "And why exactly did you not want to fly with me? We used to always fly together, remember?"

Artoo tweeted out a string of binary, almost too fast to be comprehensible. Anakin's expression changed from one of dark humor to out right offensive.

"I am not too old! You have your circuits mixed up. I'm only in my forties, Artoo! I most certainly am in my prime!"

Artoo let out an electronic chuckle before turning and rolling around him, towards the tech that was in charge of placing R2 units in the ships. Anakin followed his movements, frowning and shaking his head at the droid. He glanced up to Luke, the boy clearly having listened into the conversation and trying his unsuccessful best to hide a grin.

Anakin narrowed his eyes before waving dismissively towards Luke. "Take him! I don't want him. He is dead to me."

"Whatever you say, old man," Luke laughed. Anakin scowled before walking off towards the part of the hanger that housed the Jedi ships. Luke watched him go from the corner of his eye, still tinkering with ship. He glanced down at Artoo waiting in line to be placed. "Hurry it up, will ya'? I've got things for you to do, you little trouble maker!"

Artoo let out an electronic raspberry and Luke laughed again, continuing on with the modifications.

* * *

><p>"You really plan to go up there, don't you?" Leia asked, leaning against the cool metal wall in the <em>Falcon<em>. Han sat on the edge of the engine pit, untangling a set of wires to properly replug in a piece of the ship.

"Yep," Han nodded, gritting his teeth at a particularly nasty knot.

"And there's no way I can keep you grounded?"

"Nope."

"Why?"

Han glanced up at her, noting her uneasy expression. "What exactly do you mean 'why'?"

She let out a sigh, glancing away from his gaze. After a few moments of silence, she opened her mouth and spoke, still looking away. "I don't know. I just don't want to lose you. I barely got you, Han."

"That's what this is about?" he asked, setting aside the wire mess and standing. He crossed the room quickly and caught her arms. She looked up into his eyes, worry evident in her gaze. "Leia, I'm going to be fine. I've got Chewie, and you know he wouldn't let me do anything too stupid up there. Besides, we could use the extra fire-power against this thing."

"I know, believe me, I know!" she cried out, squeezing her eyes shut and tilting her head up in frustration. "I don't want Luke or my father to be up there either, alright? But is it too selfish to not want you up there more?"

"No," he shook his head, then paused and nodded. "Actually, yeah, it kinda is, Princess. But at least for once you are thinking about yourself. That's what I wanted for you. But I will be going up there, and I will be coming back, you hear me? Some battle station ain't gonna be my end, alright?"

She leaned forward and hugged him, his own arms closing around her small frame and holding her close. She flinched as his arms pressed against her inflamed spine and Han immediately let go of her.

"Sorry," he whispered, running a hand through his hair angrily. If he could get one hand on the scum that did that to her...

"No, it's alright," she assured, waving a hand dismissively between them. The last thing she wanted was for him to feel guilty for accidentally hurting her. She inhaled deeply through her nose and smiled up at him, trying to ease the guilt and anger she could feel brewing in him through the Force. "Can we just pretend that the Death Star won't be here in an hour and that you'll come back for me?"

"I refuse to pretend that I'm coming back for you," he said, giving her a pointed look and stepping closer to close the distance between them again. "I can't pretend something that's true, alright?"

She smiled, ignoring the pang of uncertainty that shot through her. He smiled back, leaning in and brushing his lips once against her forehead lightly. She closed her eyes at the feel and melted into his form. They stood like that for what seemed an eternity, just enjoying the feel of the closeness between them.

* * *

><p>Thrawn stood before the large viewport that lined the front of the Chimaera's deck, staring at the star that represented Yavin. If he'd contributed anything to the way Tarkin ran the late Palpatine's empire, it was military grouping practice. The fleet gathered just a few parsecs outside a system, and then made the final jump together, arriving and near perfect unison.<p>

It was a risky process, the ability to get lost among the endless stars great, but in his opinion, worth the risk. Control was derived not by power but coordination. One thing uncoordinated could start a chain reaction of disunity, and that was not the ideal term coined in an empire.

"Sir," Pellaeon's even tone called from behind the Chiss. He stepped up closer, standing even with the Commander. "The fleet is assembled, and the Death Star has made it. We are clear to jump in five minutes."

"Excellent, Captain," Thrawn smiled. "Are the TIEs assembled?"

"Yes, Sir," Pellaeon nodded. "The Avenger and the Devastator will be accompanying us on the attack on the moon."

"Superb," Thrawn nodded happily. "Fine destroyers, those ships. Even more exemplary men. This should be a well balanced fight."

"Sir?"

"Captain, you couldn't be so naïve to think this not a disastrous mission?" Thrawn smirked down at the captain.

"If it's so disastrous, why do the attack in the first place?"

"Tarkin will do as he pleases," Thrawn shrugged, as if it were a normal thing to talk down the highest moff in the Empire. "He will discover the flaws in his and Palpatine's design that I pointed out on numerous occasions soon enough, and until then he will believe he is invincible in that ship. For now, we give him this battle. But do remember, the Jedi never lost, did they?"

"They've been in hiding though, sir," Pellaeon protested.

"They were smart enough to lower themselves there, not daft enough," Thrawn reminded. "No, the Jedi have merely been waiting, Captain. Now, stand by for my orders once we reach the moon. It will be quite interesting to see how this plays out."

"Of course, Sir," Pellaeon nodded, smiling slightly at the Supreme Commander's rather unorthodox leadership.

"Thank you," Thrawn nodded. "Now, while we wait, how is the project on Myrkr proceeding?"

"As planned," Pellaeon nodded. "We've had a rough start, but a local smuggler has assisted us in the process."

"Smuggler?" Thrawn questioned, wary. Smugglers were notoriously unreliable and hardly secretive for a price.

"One Talon Karrde," Pellaeon quoted. "He has sent out several of his men to assist us, and promising silence in return for the continue of his business privacy."

"It seems we all require privacy these days," Thrawn mused. "Allow his assistance for now, but watch him, as he no doubt is watching us. Is he aware of who we are?"

"Yes, Sir. Apparently he collects information."

Thrawn smirked. "Of course he does. Send my gratitude to Mr. Karrde, expressing our deep appreciation of his help. He will be most useful to us, I'm sure."

"Of course," Pellaeon nodded.

"Supreme Commander," an ensign's voice called from the lower control areas. Thrawn glanced back, shifting his attention and the ensign continued. "We make the jump in T-Minus thirty three seconds."

"As scheduled," Thrawn nodded. "You may want to prepare yourself, Captain. These Class II destroyers may be an improvement over the Class I's regarding the jumps, but they are hardly anything to write to the core about."

"Aye, Sir," Pellaeon nodded, a small smile playing his lips. He turned and headed to the navigation station, overseeing the jump and countdown. Thrawn remained by the viewport, gazing back at the solitary star that mattered at the moment. The tables would be changing with this battle, he was sure.

"Hyperspace in five, four, three, two..."

The jolt swayed Thrawn a bit, but the Chiss remained, tall and proud, leading his people into battle, as any good commander would...

* * *

><p><strong>I've mentioned it before but I'll mention it again: I love the Rogues. I can't get enough of their antics. Unfortunately, we won't see too much of them in this story. <strong>

**Here's me wishing you all a happy holiday. I'm leaving for my mother's in about fifteen minutes to celebrate her birthday (which was yesterday) tonight and Christmas tomorrow. (She doesn't know I know but I got a LEGO Millennium Falcon. I can't wait to see those Minifigs! Vader! Yes! I have Leia, Wedge, Han, Luke and Chewie sitting under my Monitor already from my X-Wing.) **

**Anyways, have a very Non-Star Wars Christmas because the Holiday Special was really really bad and I can't even sit through the opening credits. Maybe have a Harry Potter Christmas or something. He got an invisibility cloak. That seems pretty neat if you ask me. I could list off other Christmas themed events from movies, but then this Author's Note would be too long and I'd forget any of my Jewish readers. And that's not cool. So Merry Christmas and happy Hannukah, and May the Force be with you. **


	12. Chapter 12

******Rereading over this for editing, I'm actually quite pleased with how this turned out. I'm currently reading X-Wing: Rogue Squadron right now, and comparing my work here to the fights detailed in that book, I'm not ashamed of my work. I wrote this while I was still reading Spector of the Past, which you can note that Zahn's forte is dialogue and character building, whereas Stackpole's is tactical writing and military building. Completely different styles, from where I stand. **

**So yes, I'm pleased with how this first part turned out. The fight is a two parter, by the way.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twelve<strong>

"Any moment now," Anakin murmured as he gazed to the distant stars. They positioned themselves just to the side of Yavin, rows upon rows of Jedi-fighters, X-Wings, Y-Wings and the _Millennium Falcon_ stationed in wait for the coming assault. The Force crackled around them, and Anakin's robotic hand tightened around the throttle of his small Jedi-fighter, finger brushing against the firing mechanism.

With a blur of pseudo-motion, three Star Destroyers came out of hyperspace, and Anakin winced on the inside. The Death Star had brought back-up, and this proved to be a more challenging fight just in fact. Another blur came in behind them and the spherical battle station loomed before them, threatening everything he'd held dear.

"_Look at the size of that thing!"_ the crackily comm came through and Anakin smirked. Twenty years ago, that was him. It never ceased to amaze him at the similarity shared with all pilots.

"_Cut the Chatter, Rogue Two," _another voice announced.

"_Anakin, your call," _Obi-Wan said through the radio and Anakin took a deep breath through his nose before answering everyone.

"Rogues, you flank Jedi Squad Three into the trench," he announced, speaking of his own Jedi Squad. "Wraiths, take defense and keep those Star Destroyers busy. Gold and Jedi Two, keep up on the the surface of that Battle Station, we need as many of those fighters off our tails as possible. Jedi One, actively attack the bridge of those ships, weaken their shields as much as possible. All Y-Wings will fall into the trench as planned. _Falcon, _stick with the Star Destroyers, they can use the firepower to take out those shields."

The ships in the various squads peeled off as soon as their command had been given, Anakin and Obi-Wan quickly diving away from the group and joining up with the Y-Wings and the Rogues on their decent towards the death star, past the star destroyers.

"_Incoming fighters!" _Ahsoka's voice rang out through the comm.

"I see them," Anakin grumbled, watching nearly ten of those hexagonal winged fighters leave the hangar of one of the star destroyers and head straight for them.

Green plasma shot out as they neared, various curses echoing the comms as their ship's formation broke apart to avoid being hit. A brilliant light flashed in Anakin's peripheral vision and a shout of joy came over the comm system.

"_They don't have not shields!" _Luke shouted through the comm, his X-Wing swinging around Anakin's ship after a passing fighter. _"I barely clipped that one, and he went up immediately!"_

"_Fantastic!" _Wedge replied, enthusiastically.

"Focus, you two," Anakin admonished while simultaneously taking out another ship. "Our goal is to get these Y-wings into that trench safely. Comm silence ensued after that, everyone focusing on the task at hand, working to get to that station.

"_That's the last one, Anakin," _Obi-Wan said as he took out a fighter.

"Advance forward before they can send out another squad," he called, immediately pushing his ship forward. The other ships quickly joined his, reforming their formation and reaching the Death Star quickly. Gold Squad and Jedi Two flanked them quickly, using the hole in the fight they'd created to easily get in. The two squads broke off, fighting the incoming enemy fighters as soon as they neared the station.

"Watch those fighters!" Anakin warned, swinging his ship around the onslaught.

"_Entering trench now,"_ a Y-Wing pilot announced and Anakin glanced down at three out of the six Y-Wings entering the long trench that split the station in two.

"_Following as cover," _several Rogues announced as well, their following three ships following suit down.

"_More fighters incoming!"_ Wedge called out and Anakin spotted the swarm of easily three squadrons heading their way from a Hangar just a few hundred meters over.

"_I see them,"_ Hobbie said. _"Wes, cover me!"_

"_Hobs, you can't lose a limb in this fight, you'll be fine!" _ Wes Janson teased, following Klivian's ship over.

"_Cut the chatter, you two,"_ Ahsoka admonished, pulling her ship around to cover them.

"All unengaged fighters to that squadron," Anakin ordered, and several Jedi ships in unison pulled over towards the enemy fighters.

"_Cover needed! Two Y-Wings down! Canons in the trench!" _a frantic call came over the comm.

"Three-A and Three-C, take backup in the Trench," Anakin ordered of his squad. "Y-Wing, situation please!"

"_Approaching enemy fighter! The attacks came from behi—" _he cut off as the static screech came across the channel with the explosion of his fighter. Anakin winced at the noise, knowing he'd lost a man. In the clone wars it had been bad enough to lose a man, but now these people had a family attached and weren't just identical men with a sole purpose… These men had lives, emotions beyond the desire to defend the Republic.

"_Y-Wings to the trench,"_Obi-Wan called, easily falling back into his old General demeanor.

"_Rogues to cover! Six, Eight and Nine, now!"_ Wedge ordered, dodging a fighter's green plasma shot as it came around at him.

"_Aye, sir!"_

"Luke, fighter left aft of you!" Anakin called, yanking on his yoke as he spotted the fighter after his son.

"_I see him!" _Luke assured, his ship falling down wards towards the surface of the Death Star and swinging back and forth in an effort to remain out of the fighter's targeting system. Anakin pulled up behind the enemy fighter, dipping carefully into the Force for the right moment to fire so as not to miss and clip his son's ship.

The moment came in blaze of adrenaline and Anakin clamped down on the trigger, and the dodged the fiery mess the vaped fighter became.

"_Thanks," _Luke sighed, pulling his ship up away from the surface and back into the fight.

"Of course," Anakin grinned, focusing his nervous energy back towards the enemy now that his son was out of immediate danger. This was going to be a difficult fight.

"Sir, the Avenger has just reported a sixty percent decrease in shield power," Pellaeon announced, stepping up next to Thrawn at the giant viewport.

"And the Devastator?"

"They remain at eighty percent intact."

"And us, Captain?" Thrawn asked, his eyes on the surrounding fighters. The Jedi and the Republic Pilots were skilled, he'd give them that. They had a strong leader, someone good at directing a fight…

"Seventy-eight percent, sir," Pellaeon let out slowly. Thrawn merely absorbed this information, not lashing out in the slightest.

"Hmmm," he nodded, a small but devious smile playing at his lips. "What are your recommendations, Captain?"

"Sir?"

"What is your opinion in this matter?" Thrawn asked. "Do we stay, and hope we win with our shields still intact, or do we leave, guaranteeing our life to another fight?"

"Are you asking from a military opinion or personal, Sir?" Pellaeon asked, his thoughts racing as to what to answer Thrawn with.

"Your own," Thrawn shrugged. "What would you do in my position, Captain?"

Pellaeon thought it over for a moment before glancing out at the battle, calculating the number of losses on either side from what he could see from their view of the planet Yavin.

"I'd wait until we reached seventy percent sir, then I would retreat. The Avenger is already at forty percent though, so I'd up my number to seventy-five to take into account the lives on that ship. The republic and Jedi are fighting with shields on their fighters, while the TIEs have none, so we are losing valuable, irreplaceable men."

"Not irreplaceable, Captain," Thrawn smiled. "Order a retreat, and notify the Grand Moff of our movements only once the coordinates are set and we've left the gravitational field of the Death Star."

"Aye," Pellaeon returned, clicking his heels in preparation to leave.

"Captain," Thrawn stopped him, "You are very wise in your calculations. The ability to consider the lives of those below you is a wise one, especially when they are not under your command. You will go far in life."

"Thank you, Sir," Pellaeon nodded and completed his turn, heading for the comm station to contact the Devastator and the Avenger with retreat plans.

Thrawn returned his gaze to the battle, the gears in his head turning as he thought of his next move. The Death Star's faulty plans would soon become lightened in Tarkin's eyes, that was no doubt. Whether the Moff would be able to swallow the pride left in him from Palpatine's praise though would be another story. Thrawn would be the one to see this Empire to its pinnacle, that was evident.

Green and red streaks shot past the viewport window, bouncing harmlessly off the hull of the Chimaera. Pellaeon was correct in his decision, and Thrawn was anticipating the time it would take to organize the retreat in the plans. They would be at seventy-five percent shield capacity by the time they left the Death Star's gravitational field. The deafening spacial blanket was stretched over the area, ready to retain ships in a moment's notice.

Thrawn inhaled deeply with a smile, letting the air out of his chest quickly and turning on the spot, heading down the center aisle of the bridge, towards the spot Pellaeon stood, surrounded by the two holograms of the other ship's captains. They flickered out upon Thrawn's approach, and Pellaeon turned as he reached them.

"The Avenger and the Devastator are preparing to call in their fighters now, Sir," Pellaeon announced. "I've already set the order for ours to return as well, and we have set the ships to leave the Gravitational field. What should our jump point be, Sir?"

"The Avenger and the Devastator shall return to their normal systems for landfall, we will head to Wayland. I shall oversee the project for the time being," Thrawn said and Pellaeon nodded, turning to communications to relay the orders. Thrawn smiled at Pellaeon's professional ability. He would be most useful in the greater scheme of things. Thrawn left the bridge, headed to his private control room. He had some planning to do.

"Chancellor!" Mace Windu's voice called over the many voices in the room, all rushing about to accomplish and organize the attack. Padme's ear caught the call however, her head turning sharply for the source of the title. Her eyes locked with the dark skinned master, and she immediately rushed over. "It appears the star destroyers have recalled their fighters."

"But what about the fighters the Rogues and the Gold squadrons are reporting?" she asked, glancing up in confusion.

"They haven't been recalled yet," Leia said, looking up from her console next to Mace's. "My guess is they are from the Death Star."

"Why would the Star Destroyers recall their men, but not the Death Star?" Padme mused, watching as the ships began to change their position and head away from both Yavin and the Death Star.

"They're retreating," Leia said in surprise. "The Death Star isn't though."

"Order all squadrons to the Death Star," Padme said. "Any squadrons with less than five men are to return to base, but all others are to remain."

"Only Jedi Squadron Number two is returning," Rieekan stated from his spot across the room. "They are down to four men."

Mace closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose at the numbers.

"That's better than it could be," Padme sighed. She hit the comm switch, calling up Anakin's fighter. "Anakin, can you hear me?"

"_Loud and clear,"_ his voice returned, relief flooding through her at the evidence of his survival.

"Ani, the star destroyers are retreating. All the other squadrons are returning and we're recalling Jedi Squadron Two," she said. "How is the attack going?"

"_So far, alright. We are running the trench right now, Y-Wing 7 is in the lead," _he answered. _"We might be able to knock this thing out soon."_

"Good to hear," she replied, smiling slightly. "We might see an increase in those fighters though with this retreat. Be aware."

"_Of course," _Anakin said, humor in his tone. Padme smiled and shook her head almost imperceptibly. _"Padme?"_

"Yes?"

"_I love you."_

Padme closed her eyes and grinned. "Love you too, now come back to me, Anakin."

"_Would I dare not to?"_ he laughed and she closed the connection, inhaling deeply and releasing some of the tension in her body.

"Force help us all," she murmured under her breath and returned to the tactical boards.

* * *

><p><strong>We'll see Tarkin's reaction in the next chapter, as well as the outcome of the fight. I'm fairly certain you all know where it's going, but I won't let anything slip one way or another. <strong>

**This is the last update for 2011! Kinda crazed by that. We'll get to finally see whether or not John Cusack's lovely film holds any basis in reality (which it doesn't. The science is so off in it. I watched way too many volcano documentaries as a child, several of which were specifically on Yellowstone. The whole movie would be annoying if it wasn't so damn awesome). **

**Don't for get to review!**


	13. Chapter 13

******Super short chapter here! Like, half sized, but still as important. After this there's just one more and then onto the next one in the series, which I am STILL having trouble just sitting and writing it out. I have enough chapters for awhile though, so don't worry.**

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><p><strong>Chapter Thirteen<strong>

"Governor Tarkin!" an ensign at the tactical station cried out across the bridge. Tarkin snapped his head to the side, making eye contact with the man who'd so unceremoniously called him. The ensign winced under the gaze, seeming to shrink back into the chair. "Um, the Chimaera, Avenger and the Devastator are retreating, Sir."

"What?" Tarkin asked sharply, crossing the bridge in quick but pointed steps. "Who gave the retreat order?"

"Supreme Commander Thrawn, Sir," the ensign replied.

"Reach him on the comm now!"

"They've already made the jump, Sir," the ensign winced. Tarkin grit his teeth and looked back out the large viewport of the bridge and at the battle raging outside. "Continue with the battle as planned."

"Aye, Sir," the ensign nodded. Tarkin began to return to his spot by the viewport as a private stepped up next to him uneasily, holding a datapad in his hand.

"General," the man nodded once in respect before continuing. "Our engineers have been examining the schematics and their attack plans and we may have found a possible weakness. There is a danger. Should I ready your ship?"

Tarkin gave the man a glance, eyebrow raised minutely. "In our moment of triumph? I think you overestimate their chances!"

The man nodded once and left the bridge, idly wondering if he would be able to sneak a TIE-Interceptor off the battle station unnoticed…

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><p>"<em>I've turned on my targeting computer,"<em> Y-Wing Seven announced over the comm. Luke yanked the yoke of his X-Wing to the side, diving down after two fighters headed for the Trench. The Force flowed though him and guided the majority of his movements, and his finger tightened against the trigger. He pressed down and hit the first fighter, igniting it into a brilliant explosion of sparks and lighted oxygen. The second fighter followed soon after, but not by his hand. The plasma shots had come from next to him, the happy cries that ensued belonging only to one: Mara.

"Nice shot," he laughed and felt her mental shrug through the Force.

"_I thought so myself,"_ she replied happily. _"There're two fighters to the right of you."_

Luke glanced to the side though the canopy and spotted the hexagonal winged fighters she referred to, already angling his ship in unison with her towards them.

The chase was short lived as the fighters passed directly in their line of fire, taken out easily and quickly, the small life blips Luke would rather not consider extinguishing through the Force.

"_Almost there,"_ the Y-Wing pilot said over the radio. Luke angled around to catch sight of the Trench, spotting the ships further down the trench. _Firing now!"_

The ships pulled out of the trench and Luke held his breath, waiting for the confirmation to leave the battle station.

"_Did it make it in?"_ Leia's voice called over the comm, the curiosity permeating her tone.

"_Negative. It was a miss,"_ the pilot sighed. _Attempting another try now—"_

He was cut off as he collided with an out of control enemy fighter. Luke winced, wondering what to do.

"_Y-Wing Seven, come in,_" Wedge's voice called futilely.

"_All Y-Wings are gone,_" Ahsoka responded. Luke took a deep breath, making a split second decision to enter the trench.

"I'm going in," he called. "Mara, Wedge, cover me."

"_Luke, no!" _Anakin's voice came angrily over the comm.

Luke ignored him though. All he could think of was that dream just before the meeting. He'd made that shot, he knew it was possible. The adrenaline of the dream had felt so real. Like it wasn't even…

"I can do this," Luke assured, now more sure than ever. That hadn't just been a dream. He'd need to talk to Master Yoda to make sure, but deep down he knew that it was a vision, just not of this reality. He knew that he had made that shot in another timeline, positive it had happened.

"_Enemy fighters coming in,_" Mara called over the comm, her eyes following the scanners nervously.

"_I've got them," _Ahsoka assured, her own Jedi Fighter sweeping in behind them and working to get a lock on the first ship.

A shot of green plasma came from the other fighter however, clipping Wedge's engine.

"_I'm hit!" _he cried out in panic.

"Go back, Wedge!" Luke urged. "There's nothing more you can do back there!"

"_Good luck!"_ Wedge called before pulling up on the yoke and guiding the ship out of the trench.

Ahsoka bit down on her lip as the fighter in front of her tipped up, after Wedge. She followed it though, abandoning Luke and Mara much to her displeasure. She couldn't let that ship hit Wedge after he'd already been clipped once.

"_Fighter on your tail, Rogue Two,"_ Ahsoka called out.

"_Two more on our tail, Luke!" _Mara called as two more fighters entered the trench after Ahsoka's disappearance.

Anakin grit his teeth at those words and attempted to get over to Luke before being caught up in another dog fight. _"Master, I can't get over there!"_

"_Patience, Anakin!" _Obi-Wan scolded. _"Neither can, I."_

Luke inhaled deeply, determined to make it to that exhaust port. He knew he could….

"_Luke, I'm going to try and get behind these fighters,"_ Mara called out, tipping her ship up over the fighters. They ignored her, instead pushing forward after Luke, who was now vulnerable. As soon as she'd settled behind them, though, the center fighter shot out, hitting at Luke's ship. _"Luke!"_

"I'm alright," he assured, "but I've lost Artoo!" He focused on the end of the trench, dipping into the Force deeply to know when he was close to that exhaust port.

Mara felt the Force engulf Luke, knowing what he was doing. The sheer power of it was starting to throw her off though. She'd never felt anything so strong flowing from him before, the amount of light energy flowing off him in waves. She dipped into the Force herself, the amount of power channeled pale in comparison. She closed her finger on the trigger, but the fighter made a last minute juke down and her shot missed, landing harmlessly on the trench wall.

"Almost there," Luke muttered under his breath, feeling the electric tang of the Force flowing though him in anticipation.

Mara tensed as she pulled the trigger again, the fighter in front of her dodging it once more. She tried to relax but found herself unable to, the idea of this fighter's possibility in hitting Luke too great to set aside.

"_Luke, I can't get him!"_ Mara called over the comm and Luke narrowed his eyes at the spot the exhaust port should be coming up to. Danger tingled at the base of his skull as the fighter behind him started to fire. He yanked his X-Wing to the side, hardly dodging the blow when another shot rang out again.

Mara snapped her head up, the shot having come from above, and tried to spot the person that hit and vaped the fighter than nearly struck Luke.

"_Yaahoo!" _

Luke smiled at Han's enthusiastic cry over the comm. Mara smirked, but her concentration was nearly taken as the fighter closest to the other wall swung widely to the left, clipping the center fighter and sending them both careening into the wall. She yanked up on the yoke, flying her ship out of the trench and over to the side of the Death Star.

"_Alright, Kid, let's blow this thing and go home!" _Han called out smugly and Luke laughed.

He focused, the anticipation of the upcoming port nearly driving him mad. But his Force sense shot out widly and he fired the two proton torpedoes out in front of him before yanking up and flying out of the now sparking trench.

"It's in!" he cried out into the comm, flying away from the battle station at full power. He glanced out to the side of his ship, looking at the near squadron full of ships flying along side of. He spotted his father's fighter flying alongside Ahsoka's and his own master's ship, relief flooding through him that they'd made it out safely.

He felt the familiar nudge of Mara against his mind, congratulating him silently and feeding him her happiness and pride. He grinned, shaking his head at the feeling. The adrenaline in his system was still running high, his heart pounding in his ears. He'd made the shot…. He did it.

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><p><strong>Anyone call it? I don't know how you couldn't have called that ending, but oh well. Next chapter wraps everything up, so expect that...sometime within the next week. In the mean time, MTFBWY, and happy 2012!<strong>

**(Oh, and like all the science in the movie 2012 is off, so I wouldn't worry too much.)**


	14. Chapter 14

**I feel kinda bad about how long this took me to post. It's not even a matter of writing it either, it was just a matter of posting it. So this is the last chapter and if I can work around the cat currently sleeping in my lap then the next story will be posted shortly. Name revealed at the bottom. **

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><p><strong>Chapter Fourteen<strong>

As soon as Luke's feet touched the Hangar floor, he was surrounded by a crowd of people crying out triumphs and congratulating him on firing that shot. He was gracious about it, accepting it while simultaneously searching for his friends and family. A small form jumped against him, throwing their arms around him happily. Luke immediately hugged back, sensing the familiar presence of his sister.

"Luke, you did it!" she shouted, pulling back from the hug with a wide smile on her face.

"I had help," he shrugged sheepishly, but already Han was pushing through the crowd to get to him.

"How's it feel, kid?" Han laughed, hugging him and slapping a hand against his back a few times.

"Feels pretty good that you got that fighter in time," Luke shook his head. Han shrugged, not really one to take pride when he truly deserved it.

"Yeah, whatever," Han brushed off, glancing at Leia, with a sly grin. "I told you I'd come back."

She held her ground for a moment, arms crossed and eyes narrowed before she relented and fell into his arms, burying her face against his chest. Luke smiled and glanced to the side, spotting his mother and father standing off to the side of the ship, just out of the reach of the crowd holding each other so tightly no gravitational field could pull them apart.

Just as he was about to go over to them, a small tap came to his shoulder and he glanced over, spotting nothing. He twisted his head to look the other way and there stood Mara, smirking happily. He rolled his eyes and hugged her tightly before she could even bite out a sarcastic comment. He half expected her to resist but she returned the hug easily enough, holding him just tight enough for it to pass the limited bounds of a friendly hug before pulling back and taking a step away to put space between them. A lot of the crowd that had surrounded them had broken up, taking the celebration elsewhere, leaving Luke enough room to finally feel un-crowded and smothered.

"Mara, I—" he started but was cut off as the techs in charge of the R2 units started unloaded the faithful droid from the back of his ship, the noise of the machine humming just loud enough to make conversation awkwardly uncomfortable. He spotted the droid as soon as it came into view, groaning at the charred sight. "Oh, no, Artoo…"

"Artoo Deetoo!" the high pitched whine of his family's protocol droid cried out. Luke glanced back and saw Threepio hobbling forward, his shiny gold plates reflecting the light oddly as per normal. "Oh, dear…"

"Is he fixable?" Luke asked, leaning in in an attempt to see the extent of the damage.

"I'm sure he is," Anakin announced, having come up behind Luke and clapped a hand on Luke's shoulder. He looked up at the tech with a small grin. "Why don't you have him sent to my quarters, I'll work on patching him up tonight."

"You sure, Sir?" the tech asked. "We have many engineers on the ship with fine capabilities to do this themselves."

"Nah, this droid is too finicky for your men," Anakin waved dismissively. "I'll fix him."

"Master Ani," Threepio stepped in, electronic worry lacing his tone. "If any of my parts or circuits will do, I'll gladly donate them."

"That's alright, Threepio," Anakin assured the droid. "Why don't you make sure Artoo here gets to my quarters alright, though. I wouldn't trust any other droid to do the job."

Threepio's back straightened in surprise and his head twisted a few times between Artoo and his master before he spoke proudly, "Why, of course, Sir! I'd be honored to! Come along, I'll show you to my Master's quarters!"

Anakin shared a grin with the tech before they took Artoo off and away from the ship. Anakin glanced back at Luke and smiled. "You made me proud today, Luke."

"Thanks, Dad," Luke shrugged, a red blush tingeing his cheeks slightly.

"We're both proud of you, honey," Padme assured, taking Luke into her arms and hugging him tightly. She kissed the side of his head before whispering in his ear, "You saved us all, sweetie."

"Nah," Luke shrugged. "Mara and Han helped too." Han rolled his eyes from his spot next to the landing gear of the X-Wing, his arm still loped around Leia's shoulders.

"Oh give it up, Farmboy," Mara teased, punching him lightly in the arm. "You know you're happy, just admit it."

"I'm happy you guys are alright," Luke said, his gaze pointed directly at Mara so heavily she felt the need to look away under the weight.

"Let's go take this celebration, elsewhere," Anakin suggested, reaching around his wife to grab her waist and hold her close. "I do believe the pilots have taken over our lounge and Cafeteria, we might as well make use of the party."

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><p>"Thought I might find you here," Leia laughed as she sat down in the copilot's seat of the <em>Falcon<em>.

"Am I that predictable?" Han laughed. He grabbed the bottle of Corellian Whiskey he'd been nursing and offered it to Leia.

"Sometimes," she shrugged, accepting the bottle.

"I'll have to work on that," he smirked, leaning back in the seat and gazing out through the viewport at the empty hangar bay. Leia shook her head and took a sip, smiling to herself at the ease of conversation.

"What are you doing up here, anyway?"

"Thinking," he shrugged.

"About what?" she asked, passing the bottle back to him.

"Everything," he answered, taking it from her hand and sipping it. "You know, just three years ago I was always on the move; just me, Chewie and the ship. I only stopped in spaceports for food and supplies, maybe a quick romp and that was it. It wasn't really a life at all, I suppose. And then I got too deep in with Jabba, and I met your dad, and he helped me out; showed me that I didn't have to be some lifeless mercenary."

"Really?" she asked. She knew the story, but never from Han's point of view.

"Yeah," he nodded, turning his head to look at her. "He really changed my perspective on things. You did too, you know. I think the day I met you was the turning point for me, really."

"You sound like a Jedi," she laughed. "All philosophical."

"Nah, I'm way more handsome than those lot," he joined in laughing. "Besides, who needs to be a Jedi when you can get a princess?"

She blushed under his meaningful look, turning back towards the window shyly. "I'm not a princess, you know."

"Semantics," he said evenly. "Besides, you'd be the best Princess ever. You can take care of yourself, not taking Bantha Fodder from anyone."

"I wish," she sighed. "If I could do that every day in the Senate, then the galaxy would have less casinos and more schools."

"Forget politics, Leia," he urged. She turned to look back at him, smiling lightly. "Just live for yourself. Be selfish for a week, make six hyperjumps when you could do the trip in three. Chop down a tree with a lightsaber because you can."

Leia smiled to herself, her head leaning against the back of the chair, content with just watching Han for a moment.

"What do you say, Your Worship?" Han asked after a long while. "Live a little?"

"I don't know how," she admitted, giving a mild shrug.

"C'mon, everyone knows how to live," he said, leaning forward towards her, bracing his hand against the center control. "Right this moment, what do you want to do?"

"Sleep," she blurted out without thinking. Han raised an eyebrow and she began laughing, the act in itself as freeing as she needed for the moment.

"You live a boring life if that's what you consider fun," Han teased, chuckling lightly.

"No, I just…. It's been a long day," she tried to explain. "Can we just… go to your cabin, and just lie down?"

Han grinned crookedly, the act lighting up his face. "I believe we can arrange that."

"Just sleeping, though," she clarified and Han gave his signature 'who me?' look that made Leia roll her eyes. He ignored her, instead standing up and reaching out a hand to her. She grasped his hand, letting him pull her up out of her seat, and up against his chest. She stood on her tiptoes, kissing him quickly on the lips, before heading back towards the cabin, dragging him behind her. "C'mon, Flyboy, I'm tired."

"Whatever you say, Your Highnessness."

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><p>The sun had long since set over the tiny moon of Yavin IV, and the once humid, warm air had grown icy. There was a mild breeze blowing, just enough to make Luke's mildly damp clothes uncomfortable. He sat against the temple wall, the rock behind him hard and damp. There were no clouds out, and the view was magnificent, rivaling that of Tatooine's.<p>

Yavin was on the other side of the moon, and the pitch black sky was uninterrupted for parsecs of space save for the glittering systems. Luke lazily spun a rock in the air with the Force, his fingers barely moving at all to direct it. It was relaxing to him. This inhibited use of the power he was born with seemed sometimes the only thing that really unwound all the tension in his body. Not to mention that outside the temple was the peace and quiet he needed after such a raucous celebration. The various pilots of the New Republic were probably the only people that had ever drawn some of the Jedi out of their shells.

"There you are," a female voice called from the darkness. Luke smiled at Mara's tone, half annoyed and half playful, like she could never decide if she actually wanted to be angry in the present moment.

"Here I am," he laughed, not taking his eyes away from the stars.

"What _are_ you doing out here, anyway?" she asked, sitting next to him and following his gaze to the stars.

"Being by myself, or at least I was," he teased, earning a playful nudge from the redhead. "Just relaxing, I guess."

"The party is pretty much over, you know."

"No, I didn't," he countered, twisting her words. "But out here it's kinda nice, don't you think?"

"Farmboy, are you kidding?" she asked, twisting her body to look at him. He tore his gaze from the sky to look at her, an eyebrow raised in question. "It's easily forty degrees out here."

"It's as cold as Tatooine gets at night," he shrugged. "Besides, I like it."

"You are the oddest person I have ever met."

"Even odder than Janson?"

"Much odder," she grinned. Luke chuckled, relaxing back and resuming his star gazing. Mara followed, and they relaxed in silence, content to just share each other's company for the time being.

Luke wasn't sure how long had really passed when Mara spoke again, startling him at the sudden break in silence.

"Luke, after you got out of your X-Wing, and we were talking, you were going to say something but got interrupted," she said, tilting her gaze towards him again. "What were you going to say?"

Luke smirked to himself, tilting his head to face her. "I was going to say thank you. For always having my back, not just up in the battle today. It's like you're always there for me, even when I think I don't need your help."

She sat there, eyes locked with his, just absorbing the information. It was true, in a way, she supposed. She shadowed Skywalker a lot, just to make sure he never did anything too reckless, pulled a stunt too insane, but at the same time it was just the need to be there for him that compelled her. She didn't know what it really was, or how to put words to it. Some innate part of her just _needed_ to have his back through thick and thin. And of course she knew he was doing the same thing. They kept each other in check, and always made sure they never got too crazy or driven in their actions.

They supported each other, as any friends should.

"I'll always be there for you, Skywalker," she grinned lightly.

"And I for you, Jade," he chuckled. "Wanna go inside? It's kriffin cold out here."

Mara burst out laughing, the serious tension broken and they resumed their old selves once more. Luke stood, reaching out a hand to help her up, which she grabbed, and they walked, hand in hand to the temple, neither uncomfortable with the situation.

It just felt natural.

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><p>"A great duty, done for us you have," Master Yoda announced, standing before a kneeling Luke. "Grateful we are. The force is strong in you, young Skywalker. Much like your father, but your own person you have become. An even head I'd say you have, hmm?" The small Jedi master chuckled to himself lightly. "Agree with me you do?"<p>

"Yes, Master," Luke nodded. Yoda smiled and turned to Mara, who sat next to Luke in a similar position. Her red hair was pulled back from her face in a braid save for the thin Padawan's braid that lay behind her right ear.

"And grown much as well, you have too, Young Organa-Jade," Yoda smiled, using Mara's extended name. "Many a Jedi like you, seen not in my nine-hundred years. A shame it is," Yoda said sadly, his ears twitching down. "But you," he said with a smile, his features lifting back up. "Very talented for your years you are. Eighteen next month, correct I am?"

"Yes, Master," she nodded with a small smile.

"Remember that year much, I do not," Yoda chuckled, shaking his head at his youth. "A youngling I still was. Ah, but a youngling you are not. Above your years, both of you are. So much, Knighthood is in order, I say. Hmm?"

Luke's eyes widened slightly, and his mild shock rang out towards Mara across the small bond they shared. Yoda chuckled at the emotions rolling off the Padawan.

"So surprised, are you? Your Master, submitting your name to the council for months he has!" Yoda laughed. "And you, young Jade, your Master longer than that."

Mara glanced over the small Jedi's shoulder to the ring of chairs that lined the room of the Jedi Council, her eyes meeting Obi-Wan's, then her own Torgruta master, who stood just over his shoulder. Her eyes drifted down and met Anakin's eyes, his own proudly watching his son.

The snap hiss of a lightsaber stole her from her thoughts, her eyes hypnotized by the humming green blade in Yoda's hand.

"By the order of the Jedi Council, pronounce Luke Skywalker a Jedi Knight I do," Yoda announced, his voice raising up lightly in announcement. The blade rested near Luke's neck for a moment, and she saw him stiffen slightly at the proximity. With only a slight movement from Yoda, the small Padawan braid that hid behind Luke's right ear for nearly twelve years fell down, Luke catching it easily in his hand.

Mara's heart beat just fractionally faster as Yoda moved forward in front of her, his blade coming to rest nest to her ear. "By the order of the Jedi council, pronounce Mara Organa-Jade a Jedi Knight I do."

She closed her eyes as the blade hummed closer. She held out her hand as the small weight that was so familiar fell from her head and down to her hand. She opened her eyes and glanced down at the thin red braid that lay across her palm.

"Congratulate you both, I do," Yoda nodded. "A Jedi Knight, you now are."

Mara and Luke bowed in tandem, only rising once Yoda had turned his back to walk to his chair.

"As official knights of the Jedi Order, you will be expected more of," Mace Windu announced, his fingers tented in his lap. "May the Force be with you both."

"Thank you, Master Windu," Luke nodded before turning to the entire council. "Thank you all, it is an honor to hold this title."

Mara nodded once more with Luke at the end of that, before the two turned and quietly left the room. As soon as the double doors to the council closed behind them though, they turned to each other with face splitting grins.

"We're knights!" Mara announced, still unable to believe it. She launched herself into Luke's arms, hugging him as tightly as he hugged her. This was their celebration. This was the start of the next chapter of their lives.

"Congratulations, Mara," Luke whispered in her ear.

She smiled and whispered back, "Congratulations to you too, Luke."

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><p><strong>And that's it! Next story will be posted under the title "A More Perfect Future: Thrawn's Plan"<strong>

**As always, Thanks a load for reading, and if you would, review. I love hearing your guys' criticism good or bad. Even if you have bad criticism, let me know. I love improving my writing, so anything helps. **

**Also, because I can, I'm going to try and send you guys off to read 'Dancing in the Dark' by EmpireBuiltonBlood. I'm beta-ing her story after the first few chapters, and I genuinely love the story. So if you like the looks of it, go ahead and read it. It's worth the time!**


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